Florida guard Alijah Martin sends heartfelt reminder to teammates, coaches prior to Sweet 16

Florida might be a program with two national championships in its back pocket, but not everyone has been a part of that level of success. Not yet, anyway, with the team currently in the Sweet 16.

As the Gators begin their next step in the NCAA Tournament with a game against Maryland, one player is reminding the rest of the team that they have the opportunity to be great. He’s also reminding them it’s been a long journey.

Basketball analyst Jeff Goodman shared a text from guard Alijah Martin that is making its way around the team right now, ahead of the Sweet 16. It’s a stark reminder.

Cobbled together in a grid mosaic are the picture of dozens of current Florida players and staffers. The pictures are mostly of previous stops; the Gators have a number of transfers and even coaches who have come from lower levels.

Included is the message “Never forget where you came from.” The headline of the text is “The Underdogs.” Check it out below.

Got a hold of this from a Florida staff member. Really cool.

Gators guard Alijah Martin – one of the many who came from mid-major level – sent this to entire team with headline of The Underdogs and a text saying “Never Forget Where You Came From.” pic.twitter.com/srpZC5tGxK

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 27, 2025

Some of the previous stops that Florida players and coaches were at before joining the Gators and reaching the Sweet 16? Let’s start with coach Todd Golden, who came to Florida by way of San Francisco.

In the backcourt there’s Walter Clayton (Iona), Will Richard (Belmont) and Martin (Florida Atlantic). In the frontcourt it’s Micah Handlogten (Marshall), Alex Condon (NBA Global Academy) and Rueben Chinyelu (Washington State).

A handful of other assistants and staffers also made the graphic. Point being: Florida is going into the Sweet 16 matchup with an edge. The other good news: Florida also happens to be good. Really good. At least Sweet 16 good. Possibly national champion good.

“I have the most confidence in the Gators,” ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg said on Get Up on Thursday morning. “After watching the SEC Tournament, they were absolutely incredible. The pace they play with, the force they play with, the confidence they play with, the freedom they play with, their ability to defend and protect the rim, their ability to get to the offensive glass, the ability to have different guys step up. …

“This Florida team is the deepest and most complete team in college basketball.”

Florida is set to take on four-seed Maryland in the Sweet 16 at 7:39 p.m. ET on Thursday. A broadcast will be available on TBS and TruTV.