THE FLORIDA GATORS’ RISE TO THE TOP OF COLLEGE BASKETBALL
CHAPTER ONE THE SEASON
CHAPTER TWO THE TEAM
CHAPTER THREE THE SEC TOURNEY
CHAPTER FOUR THE GLORY
FOREWORD
Such a thrill to see a team playing for the name on front of the jersey
PATRIC YOUNG • FLORIDA GATOR, 2010-14
AS A POST-COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Gator Great, it’s pretty strange to identify myself as “just a fan.”
In my 1-year-old onesie, the fighting Gator emanated greatness from my chest. My grandparents were Florida football boosters before I was born. My cousin Travis Taylor had a remarkable career as a receiver for Steve Spurrier.
I gained an incredible opportunity to play basketball at my dream school for four years when I committed to the Gators as a sophomore in high school. From 2010 to 2014, we won three SEC regular-season championships and an SEC tournament and in 2014 made it to the Final Four.
After playing overseas for several years, I became a basketball analyst for the SEC Network, where I learned some previous rival programs and coaches were quite pleasant.
With that context, you can understand my hesitation at crowning the Gators as a great team at the beginning of the 2024-25 season. I had some hope for an outstanding season but also an understanding of how difficult it was to contend in the loaded SEC let alone win a national championship. I wanted to hold off until Florida went on the road, played Alabama in Tuscaloosa and took the Crimson Tide to the woodshed.
At that moment, my fandom reached a new height, belief and risk. These Gators, one of the school’s greatest teams of alltime, blazed the trail for Florida basketball so that its credibility would never be questioned again.
As a fan, it’s always difficult to accept the change happening right in front of your eyes. And that applies to change within your beloved program and the change within the entire landscape of college sports.
A young, new coach striving to bring a historic program back to the glory land
PATRIC YOUNG WORKS AS A basketball analyst for the SEC Network. A Jacksonville native, Young played center for the Florida Gators from 2010-14. He was the SEC defensive player of the year as a senior and secondteam All-SEC as a junior and senior. After playing overseas for several years, he started a career in broadcasting. In 2022, he was paralyzed from the waist down in an auto accident. He started the Patric Young Foundation to assist those who suffered life-altering injuries, and he wrote a memoir, “Sit to Rise: Turning Your Darkest Pain into Your Brightest Victory,” with a foreword by Billy Donovan. For more about the foundation, visit py4foundation.org.
OPPOSITE: A nanosecond into their reign as national champions, the Gators stormed the court. Will Richard (No. 5) scored 18 points. Walter Clayton Jr., the tournament’s most outstanding player, jumped into Micah Handlogten’s arms. Cooper Josefsberg (No. 33) played four minutes all season but proudly would be sized for a championship ring. BOB DONNAN / IMAGN IMAGES
would require far more than bringing in a team of big-name recruits or transfers. It would require going against the grain and paving a new path forward amid NIL and transfer portal chaos.
In the 2023-24 season, Florida made a return to prominence but did not have enough talent to earn the label of elite.
Everyone must embrace the unknown as the level playing field. Thousands of possibilities could occur, but I would compare the predictability to the probability of filling in a perfect bracket.
We must embrace that the potential of our teams will be unknown until they get on the floor. Under today’s regulations, we are almost guaranteed to cheer for a different starting lineup yearly.
The strength of these Gators came from senior guards Will Richard, Walter Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin. They committed to giving this last run all they had, and, my gosh, did this team squeeze out every ounce of talent.
I firmly believed this team had a chance to be great, but I wanted to remain emotionally neutral and fair. However, when coach Todd Golden and the Gator Boys continued to stack up victory after victory, especially by dismantling the Tennessee Volunteers by 30 points, I knew that this team had one goal in mind.
It just took time for the world to catch up. And about midway through the season,
you couldn’t hear enough praise of the Florida Gators and their completeness as a team. They had all the pieces to make it happen. Golden finally had “his team” full of players that would remain in the top 10 in defensive and offensive efficiency for most of the season.
My greatest fear regarding the landslide changes in collegiate sports revolves around this question: Has the “dream school” dream been shattered? Will we see athletes playing for the name on the front of the jersey more than the one on the back?
I understand those things don’t have to be exclusive, but any name attempting to be above the program significantly can deter loyalty, sacrifice and unity. It may be rare to see all those traits every season, but my fears are lessened because of the 2024-25 Gators.
They showed me the beauty of guys committed to each other and the program, leaving it all out there and picking up each other’s slack. This team never wavered. This team never stopped believing, especially in the second half.
All great things must come to an end, and I regret that this team could not be together for at least one more year.
But what a year these Gators had!
Patric Young April 2025
ABOVE: In his final game as Gator, Patric Young went out with bang, but his team not so much. Young scored 19 points against Connecticut in 2014’s national semifinals at Arlington, Texas. The overall No. 1 seed and winner of 30 straight games, Florida bolted to a 16-4 lead but missed nine of their 10 3-point attempts and eventually lost 63-53. The Gators finished 36-3 with losses to Wisconsin in the season’s second game and to the national champion UConn Huskies on Dec. 2 and April 5. BOB DONNAN / IMAGN IMAGES
OPPOSITE: In only his third year as Florida’s coach, Todd Golden captured his sport’s ultimate prize. At 39 years, eight months old, he became the eighth youngest coach to win a national championship. With a salary ranked 12th among the SEC’s 15 public universities, he positioned him for a financial windfall. BOB DONNAN / IMAGN IMAGES
FEB. 4, 2025 W 86-75 VS. VANDERBILT
FEB. 8, 2025 W 90-81 AT NO. 1 AUBURN
FEB. 11, 2025 W 81-68 AT MISSISSIPPI STATE
FEB. 15, 2025 W 88-67 VS. SOUTH CAROLINA
FEB. 18, 2025 W 85-63 VS. OKLAHOMA
FEB. 22, 2025 W 79-65 AT LSU
FEB. 25, 2025 L 88-83 AT GEORGIA
MARCH 1, 2025 W 89-70 VS. NO. 11 TEXAS A&M
MARCH 5, 2025 W 99-94 AT NO. 8 ALABAMA
MARCH 8, 2025 W 90-71 VS. OLE MISS
MARCH 14, 2025 W 95-81 NO. 22 MISSOURI
MARCH 15, 2025 W 104-82 NO. 8 ALABAMA
MARCH 16, 2025 W 86-77 NO. 6 TENNESSEE
MARCH 21, 2025 W 95-69 NO. 16 NORFOLK STATE
MARCH 23, 2025 W 77-75 NO. 8 CONNECTICUT
MARCH 29, 2025 W 84-79 NO. 3 TEXAS TECH
APRIL 5, 2025 W 79-73 NO. 1 AUBURN
MARCH 27, 2025 W 87-71 NO. 4 MARYLAND
APRIL 7, 2025 W 65-63 NO. 1 HOUSTON
for us is just focusing on winning.”
He said that regardless of the circumstances a trip to Tallahassee would mean playing in a hostile environment.
“It’s a rivalry game,” Richard said. “We definitely expect a lot of heckling and stuff to go on, but like I said, we’re focused on winning and we’re there to do a job. That’s what we’re focused on.”
Golden hears boos but departs with Gators’ fourth straight W over rival
At the Donald L. Tucker Center, Golden was greeted by hearty boos from the Seminoles’ student section.
He likely was bothered more by the 19 turnovers committed by his Gators against FSU’s aggressive defense. But, in a battle of unbeatens, Florida still emerged with an 87-74 victory, its fourth straight over its bitter rival.
The Gators (4-0) led comfortably most
of the game — by 18 points with 5:38 left in the first half and by 15 points with 7:53 left in the game. But the Seminoles (3-1) clawed to within four points at 77-73 with 2:23 left.
Florida answered with a 10-0 run: Haugh made two free throws, Haugh grabbed a defensive rebound, Martin nailed a 3-pointer, Clayton blocked a shot, Richard snared the rebound, Clayton made a 3-pointer, Clayton corralled a defensive rebound and Clayton scored on driving layup with 21 seconds left.
Clayton finished with 25 points, Martin scored 17 points and Condon had 12 rebounds.
“We got some guys who stepped up late that kind of saved us,” Golden said. “We obviously have to take care of the ball as we will see more teams that guard like this.”
— Peter Holland Jr. contributed.
“It’s a rivalry game. We definitely expect a lot of heckling and stuff to go on, but like I said, we’re focused on winning and we’re there to do a job. That’s what we’re focused on. ”
WILL RICHARD
LEFT: Guard Will Richard threw down a dunk against Grambling State en route to a 12-point night. He also had five rebounds and five steals in the Gators’ 86-62 victory.
DOUG ENGLE / THE GAINESVILLE SUN
NOV. 29, 2024 W ESPN
NO. 16 FLORIDA 88 , WICHITA STATE 51
AT STATE FARM FIELD HOUSE, KISSIMMEE, FLA.
After Gators hoist trophy from ESPN’s tourney, Golden says ‘we got our first’
FLORIDA ADDED ANOTHER TROphy to its collection, capturing the ESPN Events Invitational at Kissimmee with a dominant 88-51 victory over Wichita State.
The 16th-ranked Gators (8-0) put forth a full 40-minute effort before a partisan UF crowd, diving to the floor for loose balls while up 30 points in the second half. Center Rueben Chinyelu, a transfer from Washington State, recorded his first doubledouble, and Walter Clayton Jr. scored 19 points.
Florida advanced to the tournament finals with a 75-58 victory over Wake Forest on Thanksgiving. The starting guards combined for 51 points — 21 for Clayton, 16 for Alijah Marin and 14 for Will Richard. Wichita State (6-1) advanced to the finals with a 68-66 victory over Minnesota.
championship, your conference tournament championship and the NCAA tournament. Getting one in a year is tough to do. We got our first.”
The Gators were off to their best start since going 8-0 in 2009-10. That team finished 21-13 and in the first round of the NCAA tournament as a 10th seed
“We’ve shown the ability to guard. And if we can continue to grow on that side of the ball … we’re going to be tough to beat. ”
TODD GOLDEN
Clayton went 7 of 16 from the floor and 5 of 9 from 3-point range. The Gators went 14 of 33 (42.4%) from beyond the arc in a game in which they scored 27 consecutive points and led by 48 points in the second half.
“Proud of this group,” coach Todd Golden said. “Thought we played pretty good basketball over the last two days. Hard to win championships. You get four opportunities, including your MTE, regular-season conference
lost to BYU 99-92 in double overtime.
After holding Wake Forest to 37.5% shooting, Florida held Wichita State to 18.8% shooting in the first half (6-for-32) and 29.8% shooting for the game (17-for-57).
“We’ve shown the ability to guard,” Golden said. “And if we can continue to grow on that side of the ball and maintain our efficiency on the offensive end, we’re going to be tough to beat.”
The emphasis on stops allowed Florida to close the first half against Wichita State with a 16-0 run, taking a 37-18 lead into the intermission. Florida then started the second half with an 11-0 run to go up 48-18.
“We came out with solid energy, and we go on these runs,” sophomore forward Alex Condon said. “We’re saying in the locker room at halftime, we just like smell blood. Just full steam ahead.”
Clayton earned tournament MVP honors. But Florida continued to get production up and down its roster, as four players scored in double figures on Thanksgiving against Wake Forest
OPPOSITE: The Gators spent Thanksgiving and Black Friday winning a tournament at Kissimmee, Florida. After whacking Wichita State by 37 points, the Gators were in the Happiest Arena on Earth. They hoisted a trophy and donned sets of Mickey Mouse ears. NATHAN RAY SEEBECK / IMAGN IMAGES
KEVIN BROCKWAY
For third time, Gators earn a No. 1 seed; team that upset Mizzou on tap in opener
KEVIN BROCKWAY • MARCH
16-20, 2025
FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR, Florida was headed to the NCAA tournament.
This time, the Gators expected a longer stay. Actually, a much, much longer stay.
As projected after winning the SEC tournament, Florida (30-4) received a No. 1 seed and was assigned to the West Regional. However, before the Gators would head to San Francisco, they only needed to travel to Raleigh, North Carolina, for the opening weekend.
The Gators learned the news on their flight home from Nashville after beating Tennessee 86-77. Coach Todd Golden told his team over the plane’s PA system, ending with “let’s go, Gators!”
The other No. 1 seeds went to Auburn in the South (as the overall top seed), Duke in the East and Houston in the Midwest. The No. 1 seeds lost a combined total of 16 games. Two of Auburn’s five losses were to Florida and Duke.
One of Houston’s four losses was to Auburn.
Twice previously, the Gators earned No. 1 seeds. In 2014, they reached the Final Four before losing to Connecticut, the eventual champion, in the national semifinals. In 2007, they won the second of their back-to-back national
stunned second-seeded Missouri 86-84 behind 26 points from center Kyle O’Quinn, who spent eight seasons as an NBA journeyman. In the next round, the Spartans lost to seventh-seeded Florida 84-50.
In 2019, as an eighth seed in the NIT, the Spartans took out top-seeded
“We’re a hungry group. We know the main goal. ”
WILL RICHARD
championships.
For openers, Florida had to play a 16th seed with a monumental tournament upset as part of its lore. That was Norfolk State, regular-season winners of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference four times in the last five years. The Spartans earned NCAA berths by winning the MEAC tournament in 2021, 2022 and 2025.
In 2012, as a 15th seed, Norfolk State
Alabama 80-79.
Since the NCAA tournament expanded to 68 teams in 1985, only two No. 16 seeds have upset No. 1 seeds — Maryland-Baltimore County against Virginia in 2018 and Farleigh Dickinson against Purdue in 2023.
In other words, it wasn’t unprecedented. But given how Florida had won 12 of its last 13 games and come together to secure a No. 1 seed, it’s hard
to envision a letdown.
“We’re a hungry group,” senior guard Will Richard said in Nashville. “We know the main goal.”
If Florida got past Norfolk State, an intriguing matchup awaited with No. 8 seed UConn, the two-time defending champion, or No. 9 seed Oklahoma, an 85-63 loser at Gainesville on Feb. 18.
If chalk held, the Sweet 16 opponent would be Maryland or Memphis, and the Elite Eight foe would St. John’s or Texas Tech.
Other tourney tidbits:
• Florida hadn’t won since the first round of the 2021 tournament, when as a seventh seed the Gators beat 10th-seeded Virginia Tech 75-70 in overtime.
• Two days later, the Gators lost to 15th-seeded Oral Roberts 81-78.
• Last year, again as a seventh seed, Florida lost in the first round to 10thseeded Colorado 102-100.
• Golden had yet to win in the NCAA tournament. Besides the Colorado game, he lost in the first round while
OPPOSITE: The day before the initial games at each site, teams hold practices open to the public and a few players face the media. Will Richard was all smiles with his answers at Raleigh’s Lenovo Center, where the Gators were to play 16th-seeded Norfolk State the next night. ZACHARY TAFT / IMAGN IMAGES
in four of their six March Madness games.
“Unreal,” Horford said. “This team is so gritty. Coach Golden kept them believing and they found a way. … In the tournament to do this … it’s very, very difficult. You don’t see that very often.”
“They were poised,” said Hodge, also 38 and continuing a pro career that included stops in Puerto Rico, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. “They had it in them, and I didn’t have no doubt about it that they could win this game.”
— Rodd Baxley
and two — Florida and Auburn — played in the Final Four. The Gators knocked off the Tigers 79-73 to reach the title game.
“It seems like where Gators should be, right? Celebrating and having confetti falling,” said Stricklin, AD since 2016. “What a great day for the University of Florida.”
Todd Golden arrived in Gainesville in
Wearing the net around his neck, Golden gives fiery locker room talk
In the victorious locker room at the Alamodome, Todd Golden addressed his team wearing a black-and-orange championship shirt, a championship cap on backward and one of the nets around his neck while holding a plastic bottle of water in his right hand.
“WHAT WE JUST DID, NOBODY CAN EVER TAKE AWAY FROM US.
Florida AD and SEC commissioner relish the end to long title droughts
Two of the happiest men at the Alamodome were not wearing uniforms.
One was Scott Stricklin, the Florida athletic director who hired Golden. The other was Greg Sankey, the SEC commissioner who saw 14 of his 16 teams make the NCAA tournament.
“We had a great year period,” Sankey said. “This is a capper. It’s hard to do this. The level of competition showed tonight.”
An SEC team had not won the national championship since Kentucky in 2012. The SEC’s only other titles this century were Florida’s in 2006 and 2007.
Four SEC teams reached the Elite Eight
March 2022 without an NCAA tournament victory and with only three seasons as a head coach. The Gators had fallen from their lofty status under Billy Donovan.
“Felt like he was gonna do great things for the University of Florida,” Stricklin said. “He certainly has delivered on that. It’s amazing how quickly it’s happened.”
Sankey praised Stricklin and Golden for building a championship program.
“They were prepared for a moment, prepared by their coaches, prepared as players and just as prepare by the competition,” Sankey said. “You saw that Saturday. You know we had 14 in, a lot of commentary, what was going to happen and then each round we performed.”
— Kevin Brockway and Rodd Baxley
Golden started slowly and calmly in a video posted by the NCAA’s March Madness account on X:
“Incredible job. All right, start to finish. You guys have done this all year, though. We talked about it at halftime. Stay the course. Final four minutes that was our time. Each and every one of you guys should be incredibly proud of what you just accomplished. …
“Every time, it doesn’t matter how. We can outscore people. We can get to a hundo.
“Tonight, we had to do it a different way. We played an incredibly tough, gritty, great program. We had to win an ugly game.”
Then a lit fuse reached the powder keg.
“WHAT WE JUST DID, NOBODY CAN EVER TAKE AWAY FROM US. EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU GUYS ARE NATIONAL (expletive) CHAMPIONS!”
—
Gene Myers
OPPOSITE: Sophomore forward Thomas Haugh rushed to this corner of the court after the final sequence. Also on the court for Florida for the final 19.7 seconds were Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard, Alijah Martin and Alex Condon. For Houston: L.J. Cryer, Ja’Vier Francis, Milos Uzan, J’Wan Roberts and Emanual Sharp. SCOTT WACHTER / IMAGN IMAGES
TODD GOLDEN