‘We'll start Tommy’: Golden talks Haugh's return, his new role next year
The Florida Gators received big news last week when Thomas Haugh chose not to enter the 2025 NBA Draft and returned for his junior year. Haugh projected as a first-round pick by SB Nation (26th) and in the second round by Bleacher Report (35th) and On3 (41st).
Haugh played a huge part in UF’s title run. He was named to the West Regional All-Tournament Team after scoring 20 points in the Elite Eight win over Texas Tech and 13 off the bench against Maryland in the Sweet 16 after starting forward Alex Condon reinjured his ankle.
UF coach Todd Golden joined the Field of 68 podcast on Monday to discuss Haugh’s decision, his breakout sophomore season and what his role with the Gators in 2025-26.
“Tommy’s he’s a definite NBA player. I’m really glad and fortunate that he’s coming back for sure for the Gators next year,” Golden said. “He broke out the tournament, and he broke out all year, but he’s going to really be on everybody’s radar going into this season. You know, Tommy is the consummate teammate. The consummate winner. Just his willingness to do whatever it took for us to be successful was at the forefront all year. He came off the bench for us.
“And then when Condo went down with an ankle in the middle of the year, he stepped into a starting role and played fantastic. And obviously, Tommy didn’t start for us, but he finished most games for us and got really confident shooting the ball, attacking the rim off closeouts. That’s where he made his biggest jump. He only scored three or four points a game as a freshman for us and averaged nine a game this year and really double figures for a majority of conference play.”
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A candidate for SEC Sixth Man of the Year, Haugh averaged 9.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists and started five games in league play after Condon’s ankle injury at Mississippi State. Haugh won’t be coming off the bench as a junior, and not because Condon and starting sophomore center Reuben Chinyelu entered the 2025 NBA Draft.
Even if Condon comes back, Golden said he plans to start Haugh at small forward, Condon at power forward and Chinyelu or senior Micah Handlogten at center. Haugh showed the ability to produce from the perimeter, making a career-high four 3-pointers against Texas Tech.
“He’s a guy that’s really maturing into a complete player. You know, has his ability to score. Obviously, both inside, and then he’s stretching it out from three. He play-makes well, he can really pass for a frontcourt player. And we’re going to play more at the 3 this year,” Golden said.
“You know, we hope that we get his running mate, Alex Condon back. And if we do, we’ll play really, really big this year. We’ll start Tommy at the 3, Condo at the 4 and one of the other bigs at the 5. And, you know, try to try to overpower people a little bit.”
