Micah Handlogten injury update: Florida center reveals when he will return from broken leg

One of the best teams in college basketball could be getting even better with the latest news on Florida C Micah Handlogten.

Handlogten told the media today that he will make his season debut and return from a broken left leg this weekend when the Gators host South Carolina on Saturday.

Handlogten fractured his leg against Auburn in the SEC Championship back almost eleven months on March 17th. He was stretchered off the court that afternoon in Nashville before having a successful surgery at the hospital at Vanderbilt. He’d go on to miss their lone game in the NCAA Tournament last year and has since missed all of this season to this point in recovering.

With that, the expectation for much of this season was that Handlogten would take a redshirt. However, with him having been medically cleared and since been practicing over the last three weeks, he has now decided to take part in this season with the Gators with seven games left in conference play ahead of the postseason.

Handlogten, after transferring in following his freshman year at Marshall, was the starting center last year for Florida. He averaged 5.3 points (62.2% FG) and 6.9 rebounds in his 33 appearances for the Gators. He paired well alongside Tyrese Samuel in their frontcourt to give them a complete rotation considering their guards as well.

In his absence, Reuben Chinyelu, a transfer from Washington State, has been the starter at center for Florida. He has posted similar stats of 5.3 points (57.3% FG), 6.5 rebounds, and a block in 24 games played to this point. Alex Condon (10.6 points on 50.3% FG, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks) and Thomas Haugh (8.2 points, 6.2 rebounds) have also contributed down low alongside, again, multiple quality guards in their backcourt.

Florida (21-3, 8-3) is coming off their biggest stretch of the season as they’ve earned their highest ranking of the year, and for the program in just over a decade, at No. 3 in the AP Poll. Now, a contender is adding yet another piece with Handlogten returning to the court for them tomorrow against the Gamecocks.