Golden on Gators' Rotation: 'I Don't Know if We'll Play 10'

The return of Micah Handlogten and recent play of Thomas Haugh, Denzel Aberdeen and Urban Klavzar are showing the Gators have plenty of depth as the postseason approaches.

The Florida Gators are 22-3 after a dominate win over South Carolina. / Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Florida Gators third-year basketball coach Todd Golden has a good problem approaching in the near future. He'll have to re-figure out the team's rotation once the team returns to full health.

And it's not because he has players that are under-performing.

Even without star forward/center Alex Condon and depth forward Sam Alexis, the No. 2 Gators are proving to have one of the deepest teams in the country.

Veterans Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard are proving to be one of the best guard trios in the country, center Rueben Chinyelu is finding his rhythm and usual bench pieces Thomas Haugh and Denzel Aberdeen are thriving in starting roles.

Thomas Haugh has become one of the best sixth men in the country and is now competing for a starting spot in the Florida Gators' rotation. / Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrate

Not to mention, the Gators are seeing the emergence of depth guard Urban Klavzar as a consistent 3-point shooter, and Florida recently welcomed center Micah Handlogten back to the court, leaving Golden with a tough decision on how his rotation will look once Condon and Alexis return.

"I don't know if we'll play 10, but I know we have 10 that we can play," he said after Saturday's win over South Carolina. "And the reality is that every game calls for different circumstances and different decisions... it's hard to play 10. I've never really done it before, and I don't anticipate really doing it right now unless we feel like we need to."

Throughout the season, Florida's usual starting five has been Clayton Jr., Martin, Richard, Condon and Chinyelu with Haugh, Aberdeen and Alexis as the main bench pieces. Recent injuries to Clayton Jr., Martin and now Condon have thrust Aberdeen and Haugh into starting spots with Klavzar seeing an uptick in minutes.

Handlogten's return comes at the same time as Condon's injury, as well, giving the Gators a solid bench piece behind Chinyelu.

Although Handlogten is still getting accustomed to the speed of the game, to say Haugh, Aberdeen and Klavzar have thrived in their elevated roles is an understatement.

Aberdeen, who has started the last four games, hit a new career-high with 22 points on Saturday on 8-for-12 shooting, marking the first time he's scored 20 points in back-to-back games in his career. Haugh, meanwhile, also set a new career-high with 20 points, marking three-straight games with at least 16 points. He is shooting 53 percent from the field and 43 percent from deep in that span.

"They've been incredible," Golden said. "I think one of the biggest strengths of our team is our depth. And, you know, we've talked about them a lot, you know, over the course of the season, as up until Vanderbilt, we had been able to start the same group every game that those two guys specifically were starter-level players, right? They just weren't in the starting lineup."

Denzel Aberdeen set a new career-high for points in the Florida Gators' win over South Carolina. / Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

Then there's Klavzar, who is shooting 7-for-9 from beyond the arc since earning consistent minutes over the last four games. Klavzar only saw seven minutes on the court on Saturday due to Martin returning from injury and the performances of Clayton Jr. and Aberdeen.

"I feel bad for Urb tonight because he's been playing so well, and I just didn't really feel like I could get him many more minutes in the first half and then the second half we got going a little bit," Golden said. "And there's going to be nights like that, you know, and it is what it is. I expect him to be ready on Tuesday night."

It's unclear as to what Florida's rotation will look like when Condon, who is expected to be out for the next one-to-two weeks with a low ankle sprain, and Alexis return, as Golden noted. However, the unselfishness and ability to step up in big moments from his starters to his depth pieces gives him a good problem to have as the team chases an SEC title and a deep tournament run.

"Over the last four games now, dating back to Vanderbilt, we haven't been 100 percent healthy in terms of our roster. And it's just been really great to see other guys step up when given the opportunity," he said. "You know, it's one thing to get your number called, it's another thing to be ready to take advantage of that opportunity when you do, and to a man, I think our guys from Denzel to Tommy to Urby and Micah tonight, you know, they stepped up and gave us great minutes to help us win.”

Florida returns to the court Tuesday at 7 p.m. for a matchup at home against Oklahoma. Television coverage is on SEC Network.