Lander's Layup Line: An Optimist's View for Gators' '24-'25 Campaign

The Florida Gators men's basketball's upcoming season is shaping up to be Todd Golden's best.

Oct 15, 2024; Birmingham, AL, USA; Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden talks with the media during SEC Media Days at Grand Bohemian Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images / Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Merriam-Webster defines the word holiday as a day on which one is exempt from work. So, days like December 25th for Christmas or whatever day the fourth Thursday of November falls on. 

However, I would like to make one suggestion to that definition. You shouldn’t need to be exempt from work for it to be a holiday because then why does today feel like one?

You might be asking yourself, what’s today? Well, if you’re asking yourself that question then you’re in the wrong section of the library because college basketball is back. This also means we get the new and improved Florida Gators back on the hardwood. If that’s not exciting in its own right, then I don’t know what to tell you. 

The Gators kick off year three of the Todd Golden-era in Jacksonville tonight at 8:30 pm against South Florida and there is tons of anticipation surrounding the Gators this season, especially from myself. 

Most of it stems from the leader in the locker room, Walter Clayton Jr. The Preseason First Team All-SEC nominee from Lake Wales, Fla., enters his senior season on the back of a great junior year in Gainesville where he led all Gators in scoring with 17.6 points per game. 

That isn’t the only thing getting me hype about this team though. Just look at their summer acquisitions from the transfer portal. Golden brought in players who love to play defense, get physical and limit your ability to put the ball in the basket. These were things that the Gators were missing a season ago. 

For starters, Alijah Martin is a heck of a replacement for Zyon Pullin, especially defensively. The guy is a steal machine. In his final year with FAU, he racked up 56 steals. That’s 15 more than Tyrese Samuel, who led the Gators in this category with 41. 

Then, Golden put the nail in the coffin on his portal work with Sam Alexis and Rueben Chinyelu. Both of these guys work their tails off on the defensive end. Alexis was named to the All-Southern Conference Defensive Team in 2023-24. Chinyelu, in limited minutes, held down the paint and amassed 45 total blocks as a freshman. 

Florida was horrific defensively in 2023-24, but Golden has put his best foot forward in fixing this problem for the upcoming campaign by adding this trio. Moreover, there shouldn’t be an overwhelming drop off on the offensive end either. 

Losing Micah Handlogten for the season is tough, but Chinyelu is almost an identical match. He is a big center who can play physical and rebound well. If anything Chinyelu might be better offensively. In their most recent scrimmage, the Nigerian hit a 3-pointer, which is something Handlogten rarely ever tried to do last year. If this is a regular occurrence for the big man, then the Gators could look even more dangerous at the center spot. 

Oh, you’re more worried about losing Pullin? Well, how about no. 

Martin can score at all three levels and do it emphatically as well. 

Alijah Martin with one of the nastiest dunks you’ll see this season 😰 pic.twitter.com/pcg26vEIkx

— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) February 23, 2024

This team is going to be a threat for any opposition that they come up against. They’ve added some very needed defense to the roster, have leadership and experience and boast solid depth. 

Sorry if I sound too optimistic about this season. I was forced to watch Mike White-led teams for so long that when you finally see progression in the coaching staff and the players, you build up this hope. 

However, those who join me on this positivity crusade, there’s a reason they say “it’s the hope that kills you.”