Todd Golden on Gators Recruiting Efforts: 'I Think it's Going Great'
Photo: Todd Golden; Credit: Zach Goodall
Florida hoops continue to sputter despite new leadership in 2022-23.
Signs of a laying firm on-court foundation are evident — as Florida ranked as one of the most efficient defenses in the nation for a greater portion of the season and has recently shown explosiveness offensively — but the outcomes for a team now sitting below .500 on the year after a loss to Vanderbilt overshadows the process form outsiders perspectives.
Turning around the product to mark up the tallies in the win column largely relies on the Gators' talent-acquisition process moving forward. Todd Golden understood that when he took the job.
On Friday, Golden briefly touched on the team's recruiting efforts at this stage. He provided his analysis of what's been a relatively quiet process.
"I think it's going great," he said confidently. "I think we're in a really good spot. I like the guys we have coming in."
The early returns of Florida's transition recruiting efforts are positive as true freshman Riley Kugel has taken over the central offensive role. In addition, Denzel Aberdeen and Aleks Szymczyk are starting to realize an increased workload as the year nears its end.
The Gators hold two commitments in the 2023 class with frontcourt pieces Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon in the fold.
Haugh aligns as a true four. He gives the Gators a more traditional sense of the position after being forced to play small this season for various reasons.
Haugh's skillset peaks on the defensive end, where he has a knack for using his length to not only contend shots on the interior but crash the boards at a high level. That will only aid a Florida team that's failed to compete on the glass this season.
Condon, on the other hand, has yet to sign with the program, although it's expected that will come at the next signing availability.
Possessing similar talents to Haugh but with a few more inches, Condon is a high-upside developmental player at the five spot with the capacity to be a dominant rim protector at the next level.
The Australian pick-up mimicks Colin Castleton in stature as a broad-shouldered 6-foot-11, 230-pound big man. His smooth playing style, with the ability to run the floor block to block, stood out to the staff during their assessment of his play.
"We have another coming in that I can't mention by name, but that we like a lot, and we think he's gonna be really beneficial for us," Golden said indirectly about Condon due to NCAA recruiting rules prohibiting a coach from discussing unsigned players by name.
Both guys are expected to play a vital role in bolstering the future of the frontcourt.
However, they could serve on a development track similar to Szymczyk. The German has spent much of his initial collegiate campaign on the sideline, growing technically for the spotlight Florida brings. That progression for the duo of incoming bigs will be offensive-centric.
Florida's thumbprint on the market isn't limited to the two in-season landings, though. While other additions aren't concrete, Golden and Co. want to continue compiling talent on the roster this offseason.
"Obviously, we'll see how it goes the next couple months," he said. "There'll be some movement in terms of portal and in terms of other freshmen still out there. We'll see what happens, but I'm very comfortable with where we are that way."
Recruiting will be a crucial aspect of what Golden can build in the near future at the University of Florida, both from the high school ranks and the transfer portal. After taking seven players combined from the two mediums after the March 2022 arrival, the soon-to-be rising second-year head coach will have another eventful process as he attempts to lure talent to Gainesville when the 2022-23 chapter closes.
Thus far, he is confident those efforts can rejuvenate a squad that showed signs of promise in his first campaign but ultimately failed to meet the tournament-level expectations he set out.
"So, in terms of where we are right now, I'm really pleased and happy with where we're at."
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