The reigning nationwide champion Florida Gators dramatically bolstered their possibilities of going back-to-back by including switch guard Boogie Fland from Arkansas on Tuesday.
The 6’2 Fland had been going by way of the NBA Draft course of earlier than saying final week that he can be returning to school for his sophomore season. He’ll reportedly be paid greater than $2 million to play for the Todd Golden’s workforce in 2025-26.
A former 5-star recruit, Fland’s freshman season at Arkansas was off to a terrific begin earlier than he suffered an Ulnar Collateral Ligament harm on his proper thumb throughout a sport towards Florida on Jan. 11. After initially trying to play by way of the harm, Fland had surgical procedure on his hand 11 days later. He didn’t return to the court docket till the NCAA Match, which noticed the Tenth-seeded Razorbacks make a shock run to the Candy 16.
Earlier than struggling the harm, Fland was averaging 15.1 factors and 5.7 assists per sport. He got here off the bench in all three March Insanity contests, scoring simply 12 complete factors and handing out 5 assists.
In Gainesville, Fland will be part of forces with Princteton switch Xaivian Lee to type one of the vital fascinating and probably thrilling backcourts in school basketball for 2025-26. The duo will look to copy the magic that the backcourt of Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard had been capable of create final season in main Florida to its first nationwide championship since 2007.
Whereas almost all of UF’s backcourt manufacturing from final season is gone, its frontcourt ought to stay largely in tact. Thomas Haugh (9.8 ppg/6.1 rpg) is again, as is Rueben Chinyelu (6.0 ppg/6.6 rpg), who just lately pulled his identify out of the NBA Draft. If beginning massive Alex Condon (10.6 ppg/7.5 rpg) observe’s Chinyelu’s lead and returns to Gainesville for yet another run, the Gators would appear like a close to lock to be a preseason prime 10 squad.
The mix of Fland and Lee, a two-time First Group All-Ivy League choice, ought to permit Florida to proceed the up-tempo fashion of play that Golden’s groups have thrived in. Final 12 months’s Florida workforce performed on the 57th-fastest tempo in all of Division-I, and completed the season ranked second in adjusted offensive effectivity.
Fland had beforehand checked in at No. 5 on SB Nation’s checklist of the ten finest obtainable gamers within the switch portal.
