Florida basketball could have had an entirely different outlook this season if some players decided to stay in the 2026 NBA Draft. However, they elected to return to Gainesville and finish what they started.
Led by Thomas Haugh, the Gators are primed to make another March Madness run and play into early April. Expectations for the program are higher than the ever been under head coach Todd Golden, mainly because of the level of retention that the program has maintained.
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The Gators brought back their top two leading scorers (Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon) as well as the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, Rueben Chinyelu. That goes without mentioning a pair of guards who also returned to the Swamp: Boogie Fland and Urban Klavzar. Klavzar was the SEC’s Sixth Man of the Year during the 2025-26 season.
Florida also brought back Denzel Aberdeen from Kentucky, pending the injunction issued by a Colorado judge holding up. Aberdeen will likely slide into the starting guard slot in place of Klavzar if he is eligible to play.
Let’s take a look at the team’s roster outlook.
Florida men’s basketball projected starting lineup
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G: Boogie Fland | 6-3 | 185 | Jr.
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G: Urban Klavzar | 6-1 | 195 | Sr.
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F: Thomas Haugh | 6-9 | 215 | Sr.
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F: Alex Condon | 6-11 | 230 | Sr.
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C: Rueben Chinyelu | 6-10 | 265 | Sr.
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While Aberdeen’s status is uncertain, Klavzar slides in as the shooting guard next to Fland. Klavzar was the best reserve in the conference last season as a steady presence for the Gators, knocking down 71 threes in 35 games. In just under 21 minutes a game, Klavzar contributed 9.6 points.
Fland’s role shouldn’t deviate much from last season’s. He was an improved basketball player from his time at Arkansas, cleaning up his efficiency from the field and overall making better decisions with his shot selections. Playing with an elite front this season, once again Fland should also remain a high-level point-of-attack defender, having already averaged 1.6 steals across his collegiate career.
Haugh is a Wooden Award contender coming back to play for the Gators and was in contention to be a lottery pick in June’s 2026 NBA Draft. He will again lead the Gators in scoring and cement his legacy as a Florida great in his final season with the program before going pro.
Condon had a career year last season, averaging 15.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists. Following a summer contributing to Australia’s national team in the World Cup qualifiers, he should see another jump in his game, impacting both ends of the floor.
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Chinyelu was arguably the best defender in the sport last season and can change the game on that side of the floor. Coming off of averaging a double-double (10.9 points, 11.2 rebounds), he could look to improve his draft stock by showcasing his skillset once more.
In a scenario where Aberdeen isn’t eligible, Isaiah Brown would be the first player off the bench for Golden. Brown played in 33 games last season, the most out of any reserve available to the Gators, and averaged 5.5 points in 12 minutes of playing time.
Golden usually runs eight-man rotations, so two of CJ Ingram, AJ Brown or Alex Lloyd should see a significant increase in playing time after appearing for less than 11 minutes combined per game last season.
The Gators are also bringing in two more freshmen bench pieces, Arturas Butajevas and Domen Petrovic.
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Gators hoops returns to action on Nov. 2 in Tampa, Florida, against the Miami Hurricanes and will have plenty of nonconference games to use as a measuring stick before starting SEC play against Texas on Jan. 2.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Breaking down Florida basketball’s roster ahead of the 2026 season
