Florida basketball: Todd Golden has been busy re-tooling roster with portal additions

MIRAMAR BEACH — Florida basketball coach Todd Golden spent a busy offseason re-tooling UF's roster through the transfer portal.

The second-year UF coach is pleased with the transfer class he's landed, which includes Iona guard Walter Clayton Jr., Seton Hall center Tyrese Samuel, Yale forward E.J. Jarvis and Marshall center Micah Handlogten.

That transfer class is ranked 15th nationally, per 247Sports. It's the fourth-best transfer portal class in the SEC behind Arkansas (3), Ole Miss (7) and LSU (14).

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"To a man, they will all really help us this year," Golden said from the SEC's spring meetings. "All super impactful players. Walt being the only perimeter at this point. Player of the year in the MAAC. Great shooter, well-rounded player that’s going to make everybody better and will be able to take a big load early on, just from the get-go."

Frontcourt-heavy class

The 7-foot-1 Handlogten earned Sun Belt Conference freshman of the year honors and was one of the nation's top shot blockers, averaging 2.3 blocks per game to rank 11th nationally. His father, Ben Handlogten, played three NBA seasons with the Utah Jazz.

"Incredible block rate," Golden said. "One of the best shot blockers in the country as a freshman and grabs every rebound. I think he’s a guy that, it’ll take him a little bit to adjust to the quickness and physicality of the league, but I think it’s going to be – not easy, but a really quick transition for him.”

The 6-10 Samuel averaged 11.0 points and 5.9 rebounds in 33 starts at Seton Hall last season. Samuel was a consistent producer in the Big East, arguably the toughest conference in the country last season.

"Obviously a producer, a guy that’s a good player," Golden said.

The 6-8 Jarvis adds a potential perimeter element to the frontcourt, shooting 40.6 percent (13 of 32) from 3-point range last season.

"He’s skilled, he can shoot it," Golden said. "Can really rebound and block shots. I think he can play the 4 (power forward) and the 5 (center) for us and a guy that we’ll lean on this year.”

The three frontcourt players, along with rising sophomore center Alex Szymczyk (6-10) and incoming freshman additions Thomas Haugh (6-9) and Alex Condon (6-11), give the Gators the size and depth in the frontcourt they lacked last season. It became more pronounced when they lost senior All-SEC center Colin Castleton for the season with a broken hand in late February. Without the 6-11 Castleton, the Gators went 2-5 in their final seven games, finishing the year 16-17.

"We did a really good job solidifying our front court," Golden said. "As you guys know, we had Colin last year, but after that, we weren’t very deep. When he went out, that was a big issue for us."

Not done yet

Golden said he's open to adding more players either as transfers or from high school before the start of the 2023-24 season. The Gators have filled 10 of 13 scholarship spots.

“We’re still actively looking, but we’re going to be patient," Golden said. "I like our 10. Obviously we’re not very deep right now. That’s something we’re going to have to continue to look and try to fix. I think we’ll add one or two more guys before the start of the school year.”