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It appears that Florida basketball's star sophomore forward Alex Condon has an eye on the 2025 NBA draft.
According to Todd Golden, the native of Australia and a key component of the Gators' championship run will be testing the waters for the upcoming professional selection process. After celebrating the program's third title on Saturday during halftime of the football team's Orange and Blue game, the basketball squad's head coach revealed Condon's intentions to the press.
"We've been talking non-stop really, whether it's during the season or this past week. I think Alex, his father and our staff are on the same page with what this next month or two are going to look like," Golden offered on Saturday.
"He's put himself in a position to be evaluated and considered for the draft and be a first-round pick. It's our job obviously to win games, to go as far as we can, but also to put our guys in position to have great professional careers."
So it is not nearly a certainty that Condon is heading out of town, but merely him doing his due diligence to ensure he is doing what is best for him. Mind you, Walter Clayton Jr. did the same thing last year — albeit, not following a championship season — and ended up returning to the team; that was ultimately a gamble that paid off very handsomely for the guard.
ESPN's draft experts, including Jonathan Givony, project Florida's forward to be selected with the 29th pick by the Phoenix Suns via a first-round pick trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"Condon didn't have the best NCAA tournament. He was hampered by an ankle injury and struggled at times with his lack of offensive polish and the physicality of some of the bigger frontcourts he encountered. Still, his excellent feel for the game was evident with the way he passes and plugs gaps defensively off the ball, as well as his nonstop intensity. He ultimately helped Florida win the national championship, making some important plays in timely moments," Givony offers.
"He will need to weigh the option of returning for his junior season with a possible spot in the late first or early second round, depending on how he fares in the predraft process. A team such as the Suns, who are shallow in the frontcourt, need to improve defensively and already have established scoring options, could have interest. Still, it might not be easy for him to gauge his standing by the May 28 withdrawal deadline."
Over two seasons in Gainesville, the Aussie played in 74 total games while starting exactly half of them (37), averaging 9.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 blocks per appearance.
He played in all 36 games and earned SEC All-Freshman honors last season, totaling 277 points, 229 rebounds and a team-leading 45 blocked shots. Condon was the first Gator in program history to make his first career start in the NCAA Tournament against the Colorado Buffaloes in 2024.
This year, the multi-talented forward averaged 10.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game while cementing his status as a starter in Florida's rotation. He was recognized as the SEC Player of the Week three times during the 2024-25 campaign and was named third-team All-SEC.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida basketball star Alex Condon to test NBA draft waters
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According to Todd Golden, the native of Australia and a key component of the Gators' championship run will be testing the waters for the upcoming professional selection process. After celebrating the program's third title on Saturday during halftime of the football team's Orange and Blue game, the basketball squad's head coach revealed Condon's intentions to the press.
"We've been talking non-stop really, whether it's during the season or this past week. I think Alex, his father and our staff are on the same page with what this next month or two are going to look like," Golden offered on Saturday.
"He's put himself in a position to be evaluated and considered for the draft and be a first-round pick. It's our job obviously to win games, to go as far as we can, but also to put our guys in position to have great professional careers."
So it is not nearly a certainty that Condon is heading out of town, but merely him doing his due diligence to ensure he is doing what is best for him. Mind you, Walter Clayton Jr. did the same thing last year — albeit, not following a championship season — and ended up returning to the team; that was ultimately a gamble that paid off very handsomely for the guard.
Condon's draft projections
ESPN's draft experts, including Jonathan Givony, project Florida's forward to be selected with the 29th pick by the Phoenix Suns via a first-round pick trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"Condon didn't have the best NCAA tournament. He was hampered by an ankle injury and struggled at times with his lack of offensive polish and the physicality of some of the bigger frontcourts he encountered. Still, his excellent feel for the game was evident with the way he passes and plugs gaps defensively off the ball, as well as his nonstop intensity. He ultimately helped Florida win the national championship, making some important plays in timely moments," Givony offers.
"He will need to weigh the option of returning for his junior season with a possible spot in the late first or early second round, depending on how he fares in the predraft process. A team such as the Suns, who are shallow in the frontcourt, need to improve defensively and already have established scoring options, could have interest. Still, it might not be easy for him to gauge his standing by the May 28 withdrawal deadline."
Condon's collegiate career stats, accolades
Over two seasons in Gainesville, the Aussie played in 74 total games while starting exactly half of them (37), averaging 9.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 blocks per appearance.
He played in all 36 games and earned SEC All-Freshman honors last season, totaling 277 points, 229 rebounds and a team-leading 45 blocked shots. Condon was the first Gator in program history to make his first career start in the NCAA Tournament against the Colorado Buffaloes in 2024.
This year, the multi-talented forward averaged 10.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game while cementing his status as a starter in Florida's rotation. He was recognized as the SEC Player of the Week three times during the 2024-25 campaign and was named third-team All-SEC.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida basketball star Alex Condon to test NBA draft waters
Continue reading...
