How Florida's Big Three ended up back with the Gators for one more run
SANDESTIN - Florida coach Todd Golden wanted to make sure Rueben Chinyelu, Alex Condon and Tommy Haugh understood exactly what they were signing up for.
If Florida was going to return to the Final Four and live up to a likely preseason No. 1 ranking, the pressure surrounding Florida’s Big Three would reach another level.
Speaking Tuesday at the SEC Spring Meetings, Golden recalled the conversation he had before their decisions to return for a final season.
“Understanding, ‘All right, if you guys do jump back in. There’s gonna be a lot of pressure, there’s gonna be a lot of scrutiny, there’s gonna be a lot of people, watching every move that we make as a program, and you got to be OK with that,’ ” Golden said.
None of them hesitated.
“They’ve been in the spotlight now for two years,” Golden continued. “That’s not something that they’re gonna have to get used to. They just have to continue to understand, it’s part of being good, and it’s part of being hunted a little bit.”
Golden welcomes those expectations, especially considering where Florida's program stood just a few years ago.
The Gators finished 16-17 during his first season in Gainesville. Florida followed in 2023-24 with 24 wins and the school’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2021, though that run ended quickly with a first-round loss to Colorado.
“I’ve been through the alternative at points in my career of not having good enough players to really compete at the highest level,” he said “When you have great players like we do, it doesn’t feel like pressure, it’s more like relief. It’s like, ‘All right, we’re gonna be able to compete in every game we’re in.’
“We have an opportunity to do some great things this year.”
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.
But the season ended abruptly with a 73-72 loss to No. 9-seed Iowa in Tampa during the tournament’s second round.
The defeat left Haugh inconsolable, stunned Florida's locker room and lingered long after the final buzzer.
The Gators’ All-SEC forward finished just 3-of-11 from the field and missed a pair of 3-point attempts during his team’s 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.
“Once Tommy became serious about coming back, we thought we had a realistic chance of retaining all three,” Golden said.
Condon was the first to announce his return. The 6-foot-11 Australian had unfinished business.
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.
“Obviously came into last season with a lot of hype, and the reality is he didn’t play his best,” Golden said. “I don’t 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.”
Haugh announced his return April 22, a week after his close friend and roommate, Condon.
Chinyelu took longer.
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 ½ and held his own in scrimmages.
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.
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.
“For Rueben, it’s just continuing to do more the same,” Golden said. “It 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 … he can make that leap.”
Together, Florida’s Big Three experienced the highest highs in 2025 and a crushing finish the following March.
That painful ending against Iowa played a major role in bringing the trio back for one final run.
“The unfortunate ending of our season is a huge reason why these guys are back,” Golden said. “So to pull a positive out of the Iowa loss, I’d 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’d be a different story.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
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This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 4:27 PM.