Player Retention Key to Gators' Success in 2025

Six returning players from 2023-24 have played major roles in the Florida Gators' run to the Final Four.

Mar 29, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Florida Gators guard Will Richard (5) drives to the hoop during the second half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the West Regional final of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

SAN ANTONIO-- Whenever speaking of this era of college basketball, two of the first ideas that pop into the mind are NIL and transfer portal, and the two controversial topics are discussed even more so when the season comes to a close. 

However, for the Florida Gators and head coach Todd Golden, a bigger talking point surrounding this 2025 roster is the continuity of players. 

“I think continuity is incredibly important,” Golden said. 

It’s a vital aspect of this Gators squad. Sure, Florida has meddled in the transfer portal, but at the same time, they’ve been able to retain some of their most important pieces year-to-year. 

From the 2023-24 team, Golden lost Zyon Pullin, Tyrese Samuel and Riley Kugel. Two of those played a large amount of minutes during that season. 

The six returning players - Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard, Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh, Micah Handlogten and Denzel Aberdeen - from that season account for roughly 60 percent (4,374 of 7,325 minutes) of their minutes that campaign, and all have made a significant impact during the Gators' run to the Final Four.

“Because we were able to bring in talented young guys, specifically Alex, Tommy and Denzel as guys that have grown within our program, then Walt and Will in the portal the year before,” Golden said. “...we felt like those five were great to build around.”

And it’s a good thing they got all of this back in 2024-25. 

Clayton Jr. and Condon were named to the All-SEC teams both in the preseason and at the end of the regular season. Clayton Jr. and Richard are a part of what is considered the best trio of guards in the nation. Condon and Handlogten are major pieces in the Gators' frontcourt. Lastly, Aberdeen has played well in either a starting or bench role and has been pivotal in certain wins throughout the season. Additionally, these six players have accounted for 67% (5,125 of 7,600 minutes) of the Gators minute totals for this season. 

Having this high of production returning and then following it up with even more is only beneficial for head coaches. Furthermore, it’s what Golden strives for when it comes to roster construction. 

“The way that we hope to do it, obviously last year we were able to, hopefully moving forward, is retaining the key players in our program,” Golden said. 

He’ll have that chance, too, this summer with Clayton Jr., Martin and Richard all exhausting their remaining eligibility. However, depending on NBA Draft feedback from some, the Gators could see Condon, Haugh, Aberdeen, Handlogten, Reuben Chinyelu, Sam Alexis and Urban Klavzar all back in the O’Dome next year. 

“We have even more than last year that we're going to do everything we can to retain, then kind of fill in the gaps around that,” Golden said. “Florida is such a great place I feel we can execute a real program. My hope is that we'll be able to do it next year with the same guys as well."

While the discussion of next year's roster is a major topic, it's still not the focus for the team fighting for its first national championship in nearly 20 years. The Gators will face fellow one-seed and SEC foe Auburn Saturday at 6:09 p.m. ET.

Television coverage is on CBS with the winner advancing to face the winner of the Duke-Houston matchup.