Three Florida Gators Named to Naismith Player of the Year Watch List

The preseason honors keep piling up for Florida’s frontcourt.

Rueben Chinyelu, Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh have been named to the 2026-27 Naismith Trophy Men’s College Player of the Year watch list. The trio was among 50 players selected to the award’s preseason watch list.

The latest recognition adds to an already lengthy list of preseason honors for the three Gators. Each earned a spot on the preseason All-SEC teams and received votes for preseason All-America honors. They also landed on position-specific watch lists.

Haugh was named to the Naismith Starting Five Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Top 20 watch list after a 2025-26 season in which he earned consensus All-American honors. As a junior, he led the Gators with 17.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.

In the frontcourt, Condon earned a spot on the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year watch list. The Perth, Australia, native struggled early last season but found his stride down the stretch, averaging 17.2 points and 6.7 rebounds over his final 15 games.

Chinyelu was named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Top 20 preseason watch list. He is no stranger to national recognition, having been named the 2026 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. The Nigerian center became the first Gator in more than 50 years to average a double-double in a season, and he also recorded 137 offensive rebounds.

All three started Monday as No. 1 Florida beat No. 14 Miami 77-67 in Tampa. Haugh had 19 points and 10 rebounds, Chinyelu grabbed 14 rebounds with three blocks, and Condon added 11 points and seven rebounds.

Category: Gator Sports, Gators Men's Basketball