Gators’ Alex Condon Named Co-SEC Player of the Week

Florida men’s basketball got back to what it does best this weekend in its 100-77 victory over No. 23 Alabama: dominance in the paint and on the glass. 

The Gators totaled 44 rebounds to the Crimson Tide’s 33 Sunday afternoon, while notching an astounding 72 points in the paint to Alabama’s 26. And at the center of it all was junior forward Alex Condon.

Sunday’s game marked a return to greatness for the Australian big man. Condon led the team in scoring with 25 points while adding 7 rebounds and 6 assists. All of this culminated in Condon being named Co-SEC Player of the Week Monday afternoon.

But perhaps the biggest adjustment for the Preseason First-Team All-American was turning the ball over zero times in the game, a noticeable drop from the previous Saturday where Condon struggled to take care of the ball, turning it over four times in a loss to Auburn. 

“You’ve been awesome all year,” said Coach Todd Golden to Condon after the Auburn game. “Don’t let one game affect your mentality.”

That message got home to Condon, as he responded on Sunday with his third 20-point performance of the season, and his first in SEC play, earning further praise from Golden.

“Today he looked like a First-Team All-American,” Golden said.

This game was a continuation of last year’s trip to Tuscaloosa, where Condon put up 27 points and 10 rebounds in a 99-94 win over the Crimson Tide. 

Condon is the third Gator to receive this honor this season, joining fellow juniors Thomas Haugh and Reuben Chinyelu. 

This is the fourth time a Gators squad has had three different SEC Players of the Week in the same season, also achieving this in 2013-14 (Michael Frazier II, Casey Prather, Scottie Wilbekin), 2002-03 (Matt Bonner, Anthony Roberson, Matt Walsh), and 2000-01 (Teddy Dupay, Udonis Haslem, Brett Nelson). 

The Gators will look for another big performance from their star forward this weekend, as they travel to College Station to take on fellow co-SEC Player of the Week recipient Rashaun Agee and the Texas A&M Aggies. 

Texas A&M (17-4, 7-1 SEC) sits alone atop the SEC standings entering the week with the Gators (16-6, 7-2 SEC) right on their tail, and Condon’s performance will be a key factor for the Gators to pick up a win on the road.

Category: College Basketball, Gators Men's Basketball, SEC