How Does Florida Move Forward Without Colin Castleton?
Photo: Colin Castleton; Credit: Zach Goodall
When Todd Golden took the helm as the head coach at the University of Florida last March, his first course of action was to convince center Colin Castleton to return for his fifth season to be a key component in the foundation of his program.
Castleton obliged. He returned to Florida for a final ride after testing out the NBA Draft market, presenting the Gators with an All-American caliber big man to kickstart the new era of UF Basketball.
To this point, their concerted offseason pursuit of retaining the talented big man paid dividends, giving the unit an elite two-way piece to anchor the frontcourt — and the team as a whole.
That all came to a screeching halt on Wednesday night as the future of the 2022-23 season was thrown into question during Florida's 15-point win over Ole Miss.
He checked out at the 15:05 mark in the second half, holding his right hand before quickly heading back to the locker room. He was ruled out for the remainder of the contest soon thereafter.
The program announced following the game's conclusion that Castleton suffered a broken hand, expectedly ending his season and, consequently, his career at Florida.
He'll go down as one of the most skilled big men to come through Gainesville and sit atop the team's all-time transfers with Dorian Finney-Smith. His impact on Florida's success over the past three seasons was immense, giving the Gators a needed boost on the offensive end across three years where scoring came at a premium for the sputtering attack that's lasted into the new regime.
Whether that came in his ability to score directly — utilizing impressive footwork on the inside to move opposing big men for good looks at the cup — or as a facilitator, Castleton executed.
His 16 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and three blocks per game in 2022-23 helped keep Florida in tournament contention, even after losses began to pile to make the road to March rockier.
The Gators have a +9 NET rating in SEC play when he’s on the floor this season.
When he’s not, that number drops to -23.
Now, after 78 appearances with the Gators throughout his career, the fifth-year senior will enter his next endeavor of the NBA Draft following the season. But, without Castleton for the rest of the way, the bubble that Florida currently floats on is getting closer to being popped.
That marks the question: What's next for Florida?
Well, the answer is two-fold, split between short-and long-term.
With five games remaining in the regular season, with the possibility of a tournament berth — albeit slim — there are moves to be made immediately to patch the massive hole he leaves in his absence. Meanwhile, this expedites the process that would have come this offseason as Florida will start looking toward life without Castleton as the undenied starting five in the lineup.
In the short term, the Gators will have to patch the DeLand, Fla., native's impact by deploying a committee of frontcourt players.
That will come in an attempt to plug the non-replicable rim-protecting and offensive prowesses Castleton brought to the floor.
The initial thought is that Jason Jitoboh will have to slide into the starting center spot without any other viable options. However, without the conditioning to run at Castleton's 31.2 minutes per game — and a notable knack for getting into foul trouble — Jitoboh won't be available for the long haul for games to allow this to be a one-piece fix.
The Gators will likely look to operate the Nigerian big man for about half the contest, which will still be a daunting task for him. Although, he did produce some of his best minutes of the year in relief of an injured Castleton against Ole Miss on Wednesday night.
He played 17 minutes despite recording just 9.1 per game on the year. His surprising stamina surprised Golden, the coach said postgame.
Instead, Florida will probably look to keep Jitoboh in rotation off the bench but in a heightened role.
Having already begun operating a small ball lineup over the past few weeks, sliding Will Richard to the four spot and allowing freshman Riley Kugel to take over at the three to equip the starting lineup with more skill offensively, the Gators could look to continue that theme with Alex Fudge returning to the starting lineup as the team's five.
Fudge's length at 6-foot-9 can present a serviceable look, although that'd result in a disadvantage on the boards for UF.
That's where CJ Felder could start finding his way back into the rotation as he continues to grow re-acclimated after a three-week personal hiatus from the program.
He'd likely serve as the third piece at the five spot.
Reserve Aleks Szymczyk, a late addition to the 2022 recruiting class from Germany, would operate sparingly in situations where a second true big is needed.
It's not ideal, but it's all UF has to work with.
On the other side, the long-term effects of Castleton's early exit from the program set in the problematic reality that there is no current or upcoming fix in sight.
The Gators have two frontcourt players committed and signed in the 2023 recruiting class.
Thomas Haugh, a true four, and Alex Condon will give the unit some depth. However, while both present varying promises for the future, neither will be ready to take on a significant role upon arrival.
As a result, as Golden has said previously, Florida's focus in the early days of the regime will be on its ability to retool departing talent via the transfer portal.
That's even truer in his second offseason than in his first.
Getting a piece to replace Castleton as a starting five heading into next season will be paramount to Golden's year two success, where the team will be expected to take a significant step forward.
That scouting process for a formidable replacement will begin quickly after the season, as it will be what potentially makes or breaks Florida in a crucial 2023-24 season.
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