It looks like Florida basketball sophomore Alex Condon will end up at least testing the waters for the NBA Draft this spring.
Following the Florida Gators national basketball celebration on Saturday at The Swamp, Florida coach Todd Golden addressed whether the 6-foot-11, 230-pound Condon would return to UF as a junior.
"We've been talking non-stop really," Golden said. "Whether it's during the season or this past week. I think Alex, his father and our staff are on the same page with what this next month or two are going to look like. He's put himself in a position to be evaluated and considered for the draft and be a first-round pick. It's our job obviously to win games, to go as far as we can, but also to put our guys in position to have great professional careers."
Under NCAA rules, players can attend NBA predraft camps and go through team workouts until May 28, at which point players must decide by 11:59 p.m. ET on that date whether they return to school.
Florida basketball guards Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard both went through the predraft process last year before deciding to come back to UF as seniors. It paid dividends. Not only did both fuel UF's run to its third basketball national title in school history, but both learned what they needed to work on and improved their NBA draft stock in the process. After winning Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors, Yahoo.com projects Clayton as a first round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, going 23rd overall to the Orlando Magic.
On3.com projects Condon to go 28th overall to the Boston Celtics late in the first round in its latest mock draft. A Perth, Australia, native, Condon earned second-team All-SEC honors and finished the 2024-25 season averaging 10.6 points and 7.5 rebounds with a team-high 49 blocked shots. He struggled at times during the NCAA Tournament after suffering a sprained ankle during UF's Sweet 16 win over Maryland, but responded with a solid effort in Florida's 65-63 national championship win over Houston, finishing with 12 points and 7 rebounds.
What Florida basketball's frontline could look like in 2025-26 if Alex Condon returns
If Condon returns, Florida could have one of the top frontlines in college basketball next season as center Rueben Chinyelu, center Micah Handlogten and forward Thomas Haugh are all expected to return as well.
The 6-foot-9 Haugh could see some time on the wing based his ability to pass, handle and shoot the ball. Haugh averaged 9.8 points while shooting 34% from 3-point range this season.
"We definitely plan on playing Tommy little bit on the premier next year, for sure," Golden said. "I just think if we're able to retain these guys, we'll have a lot of strength up there in the front line, we want to keep these guys on the court. And Tommy's ability to play multiple positions is one of his biggest strengths."
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun's Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X ...
