{"id":1812,"date":"2026-05-26T23:35:51","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T23:35:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1812"},"modified":"2026-05-26T23:35:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T23:35:51","slug":"how-floridas-big-three-ended-up-back-with-the-gators-for-one-more-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1812","title":{"rendered":"How Florida\u2019s Big Three ended up back with the Gators for one more run"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SANDESTIN \u2014\u00a0Florida coach Todd Golden wanted to make sure Rueben Chinyelu, Alex Condon and Tommy Haugh\u00a0understood exactly what they were signing up for.<\/p>\n

Read more Science center sets reopening date for domed theater<\/a><\/p>\n

If Florida was going to return to the Final Four and live up to a likely preseason No. 1 ranking, the pressure surrounding Florida\u2019s Big Three would reach another level.<\/p>\n

Speaking Tuesday at the SEC Spring Meetings, Golden recalled the conversation he had before their decisions to return for a final season.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnderstanding, \u2018All right, if you guys do jump back in. There\u2019s gonna be a lot of pressure, there\u2019s gonna be a lot of scrutiny, there\u2019s gonna be a lot of people, watching every move that we make as a program, and you got to be OK with that,\u2019 \u201d Golden said.<\/p>\n

None of them hesitated.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve been in the spotlight now for two years,\u201d Golden continued. \u201cThat\u2019s not something that they\u2019re gonna have to get used to. They just have to continue to understand, it\u2019s part of being good, and it\u2019s part of being hunted a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Golden welcomes those expectations, especially considering where Florida\u2019s program stood just a few years ago.<\/p>\n

The Gators finished 16-17 during his first season in Gainesville. Florida followed in 2023-24 with 24 wins and the school\u2019s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2021, though that run ended quickly with a first-round loss to Colorado.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been through the alternative at points in my career of not having good enough players to really compete at the highest level,\u201d he said \u201cWhen you have great players like we do, it doesn\u2019t feel like pressure, it\u2019s more like relief. It\u2019s like, \u2018All right, we\u2019re gonna be able to compete in every game we\u2019re in.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have an opportunity to do some great things this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Florida accomplished plenty last season. Florida won the SEC regular-season title and earned a No. 1 seed NCAA Tournament seed for the second straight year.<\/p>\n

But the season ended abruptly with a 73-72 loss to No. 9-seed Iowa in Tampa during the tournament\u2019s second round.<\/p>\n

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The defeat left Haugh inconsolable, stunned Florida\u2019s locker room and lingered long after the final buzzer.<\/p>\n

The Gators\u2019 All-SEC forward finished just 3-of-11 from the field and missed a pair of 3-point attempts during his team\u2019s penultimate possession. Projected as a potential lottery pick and clear first-round selection, the athletic and versatile 6-foot-9 Haugh instead chose another year at Florida.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce Tommy became serious about coming back, we thought we had a realistic chance of retaining all three,\u201d Golden said.<\/p>\n

Read more DeSantis signs death warrant for husband who killed wife in Orange County<\/a><\/p>\n

Condon was the first to announce his return. The 6-foot-11 Australian had unfinished business.<\/p>\n

He entered last season with first-team All-America acclaim and averaged 15.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists while blocking 48 shots. Yet, Golden believed Condon finished the year playing his best basketball.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously came into last season with a lot of hype, and\u00a0 the reality is he didn\u2019t play his best,\u201d Golden said. \u201cI don\u2019t think our team played our best. But once he kind of broke through that over the last month, two months of the year, he played like one of the best players in America.\u201d<\/p>\n

Haugh announced his return April 22, a week after his close friend and roommate, Condon.<\/p>\n

Chinyelu took longer.<\/p>\n

The 6-foot-10, 260-pound center first wanted feedback after participating the NBA Scouting Combine, where he recorded a combine-best hand length of 10 inches and wingspan of 7-foot-7 \u00bd and held his own in scrimmages.<\/p>\n

But with a mid-second-round projection, another year developing at Florida made sense. Chinyelu now aims to make a jump similar to the one he performed last season.<\/p>\n

In 2025-26, he led all power-conference players with an average of 11.2 rebounds, up from 6.6 the previous season, set a school-record with 19 double-doubles and was named the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. Chinyelu also averaged 10.9 points, up from six per game, while shooting 58.4% from the field and 69.5% from the free-throw line.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor Rueben, it\u2019s just continuing to do more the same,\u201d Golden said. \u201cIt just has to be gradual improvement in all those areas. He has to become a little more efficient around the rim, a little bit better with the ball. But with him coming back \u2026 he can make that leap.\u201d<\/p>\n

Together, Florida\u2019s Big Three experienced the highest highs in 2025 and a crushing finish the following March.<\/p>\n

That painful ending against Iowa played a major role in bringing the trio back for one final run.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe unfortunate ending of our season is a huge reason why these guys are back,\u201d Golden said. \u201cSo to pull a positive out of the Iowa loss, I\u2019d say it gave us a runway to be able to retain our three star frontcourt players. Whereas if we made a run or got to the Final Four or made it to the championship game, I think it\u2019d be a different story.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Redrawn Florida congressional map upheld ahead of midterms<\/a><\/p>\n

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How Florida coach Todd Golden convinced Tommy Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu to return for one final championship run.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1811,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-college-sports","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Florida\u2019s Big Three ended up back with the Gators for one more run - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1812\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Florida\u2019s Big Three ended up back with the Gators for one more run - 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