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SAN ANTONIO — Some home cooking in San Antonio has helped spur the Florida Gators to the cusp of a national title.
Todd Golden’s coaching cachet continues to surge at age 39, All-American point guard Walter Clayton’s star is on a meteoric rise and the rest of the Gators — led lately by veteran shooting guard Alijah Martin — attack opponents from all angles.
But look no further than the Gator moms as a key ingredient in the recipe of the team’s success, culminating with a national-title shot Monday night against Houston.
“That’s a testament to how we were raised,” Martin said. “Our parents get along. We can get along as well. So it’s amazing to see that our family gets along so well.”
Tina Martin, Jenn Haugh, Denise Handlogten, Helen Richard and the rest of the team’s matriarchs brought up sons willing to sacrifice and share the spotlight while forging a bond that has been unbreakable during a remarkable run.
A collection of women and sons from disparate backgrounds and different parts of the world have quickly come together to now enjoy the time of their lives while also forging lasting friendships.
“We’re like one big Gator family,” Tina Martin told the Orlando Sentinel.
The affection has trickled down to the court, where the Gators’ never-die attitude has ignited a five-win NCAA Tournament run featuring three second-half comebacks and too many big moments and clutch plays to count.
“I’ve been saying it for a while now — just the togetherness of our team, the love we all got for each other, allows us not to break apart during adversity,” Clayton told reporters Sunday. “We just stay together in those moments.”
The Gators moms, along with family members, are never far apart themselves out on the road.
They often eat and always pray together prior to games. During the action, they sit side by side cheering their sons.
“Everything’s together,” Micah Handlogten said. “The families love each other, and the players love each other. Everything is held together like glue.”
When times are toughest, the Gator moms mobilize.
After Handlogten suffered a compound fracture of his lower right leg during the 2024 SEC Tournament championship game against Auburn, all the families in Nashville immediately came to his family’s aid.
“We were all really pretty close and everything,” Danielle Handlogten said Sunday. “But when Micah got hurt, their attention turned to our family. There was an instant: ‘We need to stop; we need to focus on our family that’s down on that court.”
“We all walked through this journey together.”
Helen Richard, mother of senior guard Will Richard, soon gathered families to pray for the injured Gator. A group text allowed for updates from Danielle at nearby Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Daily communication among the moms provided much-needed emotional support.
Danielle recalled Helen’s overriding message: “Faith over fear.”
“We’re all together,” Danielle said. “But I think even more importantly, our boys know that, too. It’s really an extended family.”
Sometimes, the connection stretches halfway across the earth.
Tina Martin, a native of Summit, Miss., was the only mom on hand when Alex Condon, a sophomore from Australia, severely sprained his ankle Feb. 11 at Mississippi State.
Leah Condon, his mother, was 13 hours away in Perth but never out of the loop to her son’s health status. When Damien Condon arrived in San Antonio to watch his son in the Final Four, he made a beeline to Martin.
“He said, ‘I never got a chance to thank you personally, but I thank you for looking after my boy with that injury,’” Tina recalled. “And I told him, ‘Those are my boys, too.’
“These are guys that my son calls brothers. They can’t be his brother unless I’m their mother.”
Long-distance relationships are not uncommon.
Condon made the longest trek to Gainesville. But coach Todd Golden’s roster includes other players from foreign countries, transfers from other schools and incoming freshmen new to college.
Families, not just players, have to get to know each other and the lay of the land.
“In high school you grow up with the parents of the kids that you play with on the team,” Jenn Haugh said. “That ends up being your friend group. When [Tommy] left and headed to Florida, we felt like we were forever away. You don’t know the ins and outs.”
Before long, a Gator mom group text was born to share everything from logistics to inspirational messages.
“It’s awesome,” Jenn said. “It just makes you feel connected.”
As time passed and a level of comfort evolved, personalities soon emerged.
“Tina is the life of the party,” Jenn said. “Danielle is a great organizer. Helen is very much makes sure everyone’s grounded.”
Following Saturday night’s 79-73 win against Auburn, the Gator sons were at the center of a celebration at the team hotel in a familial setting.
While fans were out roaming the city’s celebrated Riverwalk, walk-on Cooper Josefsberg commanded the piano at the players’ lounge and the “Dazzlers” cheerleaders sang. Some players, parents and coaches played Jingle, some spades and others Sony PlayStation.
“They were up there just enjoying one another,” Tina recalled the next morning. “When you naturally and genuinely love one another, you spend that type of time together, and you do things like that.”
The Gators have shown also how to win a lot of games people didn’t think you could, or maybe you should have even lost. The talent, kinship and grit of Golden’s squad is going to be tough to beat Monday night.
“It’s what makes our team special,” the coach said. “The connectivity, the respect, the love that our families have for each other is truly unique.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at [email protected]
Continue reading...
Todd Golden’s coaching cachet continues to surge at age 39, All-American point guard Walter Clayton’s star is on a meteoric rise and the rest of the Gators — led lately by veteran shooting guard Alijah Martin — attack opponents from all angles.
But look no further than the Gator moms as a key ingredient in the recipe of the team’s success, culminating with a national-title shot Monday night against Houston.
“That’s a testament to how we were raised,” Martin said. “Our parents get along. We can get along as well. So it’s amazing to see that our family gets along so well.”
Tina Martin, Jenn Haugh, Denise Handlogten, Helen Richard and the rest of the team’s matriarchs brought up sons willing to sacrifice and share the spotlight while forging a bond that has been unbreakable during a remarkable run.
A collection of women and sons from disparate backgrounds and different parts of the world have quickly come together to now enjoy the time of their lives while also forging lasting friendships.
“We’re like one big Gator family,” Tina Martin told the Orlando Sentinel.
The affection has trickled down to the court, where the Gators’ never-die attitude has ignited a five-win NCAA Tournament run featuring three second-half comebacks and too many big moments and clutch plays to count.
“I’ve been saying it for a while now — just the togetherness of our team, the love we all got for each other, allows us not to break apart during adversity,” Clayton told reporters Sunday. “We just stay together in those moments.”
The Gators moms, along with family members, are never far apart themselves out on the road.
They often eat and always pray together prior to games. During the action, they sit side by side cheering their sons.
“Everything’s together,” Micah Handlogten said. “The families love each other, and the players love each other. Everything is held together like glue.”
When times are toughest, the Gator moms mobilize.
After Handlogten suffered a compound fracture of his lower right leg during the 2024 SEC Tournament championship game against Auburn, all the families in Nashville immediately came to his family’s aid.
“We were all really pretty close and everything,” Danielle Handlogten said Sunday. “But when Micah got hurt, their attention turned to our family. There was an instant: ‘We need to stop; we need to focus on our family that’s down on that court.”
“We all walked through this journey together.”
Helen Richard, mother of senior guard Will Richard, soon gathered families to pray for the injured Gator. A group text allowed for updates from Danielle at nearby Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Daily communication among the moms provided much-needed emotional support.
Danielle recalled Helen’s overriding message: “Faith over fear.”
“We’re all together,” Danielle said. “But I think even more importantly, our boys know that, too. It’s really an extended family.”
Sometimes, the connection stretches halfway across the earth.
Tina Martin, a native of Summit, Miss., was the only mom on hand when Alex Condon, a sophomore from Australia, severely sprained his ankle Feb. 11 at Mississippi State.
Leah Condon, his mother, was 13 hours away in Perth but never out of the loop to her son’s health status. When Damien Condon arrived in San Antonio to watch his son in the Final Four, he made a beeline to Martin.
“He said, ‘I never got a chance to thank you personally, but I thank you for looking after my boy with that injury,’” Tina recalled. “And I told him, ‘Those are my boys, too.’
“These are guys that my son calls brothers. They can’t be his brother unless I’m their mother.”
Long-distance relationships are not uncommon.
Condon made the longest trek to Gainesville. But coach Todd Golden’s roster includes other players from foreign countries, transfers from other schools and incoming freshmen new to college.
Families, not just players, have to get to know each other and the lay of the land.
“In high school you grow up with the parents of the kids that you play with on the team,” Jenn Haugh said. “That ends up being your friend group. When [Tommy] left and headed to Florida, we felt like we were forever away. You don’t know the ins and outs.”
Before long, a Gator mom group text was born to share everything from logistics to inspirational messages.
“It’s awesome,” Jenn said. “It just makes you feel connected.”
As time passed and a level of comfort evolved, personalities soon emerged.
“Tina is the life of the party,” Jenn said. “Danielle is a great organizer. Helen is very much makes sure everyone’s grounded.”
Following Saturday night’s 79-73 win against Auburn, the Gator sons were at the center of a celebration at the team hotel in a familial setting.
While fans were out roaming the city’s celebrated Riverwalk, walk-on Cooper Josefsberg commanded the piano at the players’ lounge and the “Dazzlers” cheerleaders sang. Some players, parents and coaches played Jingle, some spades and others Sony PlayStation.
“They were up there just enjoying one another,” Tina recalled the next morning. “When you naturally and genuinely love one another, you spend that type of time together, and you do things like that.”
The Gators have shown also how to win a lot of games people didn’t think you could, or maybe you should have even lost. The talent, kinship and grit of Golden’s squad is going to be tough to beat Monday night.
“It’s what makes our team special,” the coach said. “The connectivity, the respect, the love that our families have for each other is truly unique.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at [email protected]
Continue reading...
