Alex Condon Playing Huge Role For Florida Basketball

When the Gators landed the commitment from Australian big man Alex Condon it was seen as a developmental program move. Condon did have interest from Saint Mary’s and Utah, two teams noted for Australian recruiting, but it didn’t seem like he would be receiving a ton of division-1 offers.

Once he got to campus, it didn’t take long for Condon to start turning heads and being seen as someone who wasn’t a long-term project, but someone who could contribute right away. Rebounding and physicality were something he was known for in Australia, but in Gainesville he immediately showed flashes as a finisher in transition and someone who could make quality passing reads in the halfcourt.

Condon’s college career began with a bang as he had 13 points in Florida’s opener against Loyola Maryland followed up by a 17 point performance two games later against Florida A&M. Sure, a chunk of this production came in garbage time when the Gators had essentially sealed the game–but for a freshman to put up those numbers in any situation isn’t easy. As the Gators entered the later stages of non-conference play Condon settled into a consistent role as the first frontcourt player off the bench. Energy was the name of the game as he’d compete hard on the glass and sprint like a gazelle in transition, always trying to be the first one to the opponent’s rim. While he was comfortable in this role, he was ready to take another step.

A highlight of Florida’s non-conference schedule was a double overtime thriller against Michigan. Double overtime meant three separate moments of high-leverage basketball–the end of regulation, the end of the first overtime period, and the end of the second overtime period. Who did Florida trust to play these minutes at the center position?

Freshman Alex Condon.

He finished with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 massive blocks–and Florida felt most comfortable with him defensively against a potent Wolverines squad. 

As Florida entered conference play they found themselves in a tight game with the Kentucky Wildcats, one of the top teams in not only the SEC but in the country. Coming down to the wire it was a one possession game, and Florida’s coaching staff had a difficult lineup decision on their hands. Who did they put out at the center position?

Freshman Alex Condon.

Throughout the game Condon had been arguably Florida’s best interior defender and he was able to handle himself in switches as well. He had spaced the defense out with a made three, and had two nifty assists that showcased his passing ability. In one of the biggest moments of one of the biggest games of the season–Florida’s coaches trusted Condon.

Florida’s next two games against Ole Miss and Arkansas weren’t close so there wasn’t crunch time to be played–but Condon’s role continued to increase. His minutes were nearly identical to starter Micah Handlogten, but it seemed at the bigger moments–just like the ones against Michigan and Kentucky–the center role belonged to Condon.

To look at how Condon has been so successful, it starts with energy plays–rebounding and blocked shots.

Condon is putting up incredible defensive and offensive rebounding rates (percentages of rebounds grabbed while on the floor–to adjust for tempo) coming in at 111th in the country in offensive rebounding percentage and 55th in defensive rebounding percentage. He is second on the team in offensive rebounding rate (behind Handlogten) but his defensive rebounding rate of 25.1%, meaning he is grabbing an incredible quarter of all available missed shots, leads the way by a large margin. Rebounding has become a massive part of Florida’s identity and Condon plays a huge role in that–adding to why the coaches have so much trust in him.

When you look at some highlight reel plays from Florida’s season–many are going to be Condon’s blocked shots. He has had a number of chase down blocks in transition usually reserved for quicker wings, and in the halfcourt there have been a number of powerful athletes who thought they could throw down a vicious dunk overtop of Condon only to have the attempt stuffed. It’s not just highlights with Condon–the numbers also back up his shot blocking ability. Condon is 149th in the country in block rate and that number has shot up in the last few weeks–so watch for it to get even higher.

One of the issues Florida has had this season is guarding post ups. The Gators’ frontcourt is long but not particularly stout–and physical centers with a lower center of gravity have given them troubles. The one player in Florida’s frontcourt who hasn’t struggled to guard post ups is Condon, as opponents are only at 0.7 points per possession posting up against him which is best on the roster. 

Offensively things haven’t come quite as easily to Condon but he is rapidly improving on that end. He is shooting 68% on cuts as he continues to gain savviness in finding creases in the defense, and while he hasn’t been a potent scorer when posting up the Gators are at 1.1 points per possession on plays where Condon distributes from the post–a very good number. We have seen flashes of Condon being able to make threes, and even if that shot never becomes consistent we know he will be able to find ways to score in transition and on the offensive glass.

We have seen Condon take the center role at the end of close games and you have to wonder if the starting spot will be next. Florida’s current starting group has rather pedestrian numbers and they could be looking to shake things up once again after already moving Riley Kugel to the bench. However, to speak in cliches, “it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish” and even if Condon doesn’t end up taking the opening tip it’s clear he has a huge role with this team.

Early in Todd Golden’s tenure at Florida the evaluation of Alex Condon has to be one of the things he deserves the most credit for. Playing at the NBA Academy in Australia it wasn’t like there were no eyes on Condon–a lot of coaches saw him play, and chose not to give him an offer. It was Golden and his staff who saw Condon as an SEC-level big man and what’s even more impressive is that it wasn’t in the long term–he’s a contributor right now. Already a capable SEC big, the future is extremely bright for Alex Condon.