Golden Addresses Condon, Fland and White House Visit

As Todd Golden walked into the UF Women’s Club on Thursday morning donning gray camo Jordan shorts, Nike sneakers and an Air Jordan T-shirt, it was hard to guess where he’d been only 19 hours earlier. The too-cool-for-school look contrasted with the suit and tie he wore to the White House on Wednesday afternoon, celebrating Florida men’s basketball’s national championship one last time.

That, as they say, isn’t surprising, at least if you’ve seen the coach before. And the 39-year-old, who inked a six-year, $40.5 million contract extension only two weeks ago, quickly provided some insight into the change in attire.

“I was laughing with Scott (Stricklin, Florida’s athletic director) on the bus leaving,” Golden said, briefly straightening his posture and taking a more serious tone. “He was like, ‘Now that we’ve done the White House, time to turn the page to next year.'”

So with an adjusted mindset but a similar look to his high-profiled recruiting runs of past summers, Golden quickly changed the subject from celebration to replication. The first of his summer objectives? Replacing his star guards: seniors Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard and Alijah Martin.

While celebrating the championship, which Golden laughed off as “still [being] pretty excited about” despite Stricklin’s focus, he’s been recruiting. After weeks of scouring the transfer portal, those slots in the backcourt seem filled now.

“Everyone knew we needed another perimeter player to add to the mix,” Golden said. “We wanted to be really thorough, evaluating the options out there.”

On Tuesday, Florida added rising sophomore guard Boogie Fland, a transfer from Arkansas who averaged 13.5 points and 5.1 assists per game last season. He joins rising senior guard Xaivian Lee, a Princeton transfer who nearly posted 17 points per game last year.

In Golden’s eyes, the pair are a product of his departing backcourt’s success. Each of Florida’s three leading scorers last season, Clayton Jr., Richard and Martin, were transfers. Florida’s offensive system, which Golden said will “be the same” this coming season minus some ball-screen adjustments, has proven it can take guards to the next level. (The trio of leading scorers is preparing for the NBA Draft in June.)

That isn’t to say, though, that Fland and Lee don’t bring their own talents to Gainesville.

“The combination of those guys in the backcourt gives us the playmaking, the leadership, the ability to attack offensively,” Golden said, highlighting their ability to play with or without the ball. He also mentioned their assist rates, emphasizing that each can serve as a point guard. That contrasts starkly with last year when Florida was considered point-guard-less in the offseason. (Although Clayton Jr. relieved those stress quickly in 2024.)

The other subject Golden addressed came with much more ambiguity: sophomore forward Alex Condon’s NBA Draft status.

The Aussie participated in the NBA Draft Combine last week and continues to mull whether he should turn professional. Coming off a year where he led Florida’s frontcourt, averaging 10.6 points per game, his potential return to UF would ease many concerns about Florida’s legitimacy as a repeat national title contender.

“We’ve had good conversations with Alex,” Golden said. “I’m cautiously optimistic.”

The coach hopes to hear Condon’s decision on May 27, the day before the NBA Draft declaration deadline, providing a loose timetable for when Florida’s 2025-26 roster could be solidified.

Despite all the offseason duties, Golden remained upbeat. I mean it’s not every day you’re throwing out the first pitch at Wrigley and standing in the Oval Office in a week. He kept that perspective throughout the brief, 12-minute media update, the last official press event until late summer.

He made sure the recruiting hoopla hadn’t confused anyone about how his team feels entering the break.

“I’m still pretty happy.”