It’s been a long 11 months since Florida center Micah Handlogten suffered a gruesome leg injury vs Auburn in the SEC Championship game. The wait is finally over, though. Handlogten announced his plans to return to the court as Florida is set to take on South Carolina on Saturday night.
“I’m back. I’m coming back. I’m playing this year,” Handlogten told the media on Friday.
It couldn’t have come at a better time for the Gators, who will be without two big men in Alex Condon and Sam Alexis vs the Gamecocks.
“I think it’s a time that the team needs me and I’ve been ready to play,” Handlogten said. “I’ve had some hesitation in the past, but I’ve moved on past that, and I’m ready to get out there and hoop for the Gators.”
Handlogten nearly decided to return three weeks ago vs Georgia but had some second thoughts with what’s been a very difficult decision for the North Carolina native.
“I’ve been wanting to play for the last couple of weeks. We kind of had a little thing before the Georgia game. Ultimately, I had some second thoughts, but I know now more than ever the team kind of needs me, and I’m ready to fill in and be there for them,” Handlogten said.
“Just if I was ready or not,” Handlogten said on why he was having second thoughts. “I kind of had some hesitations when it came to that. During these past three weeks or whatever, I’ve just been able to get a lot more confident in myself and I’ve been playing really well in practice. I think I’m ready.”
As soon as Handlogten steps on the court tomorrow, he will lose his redshirt season. Handlogten could have the option of applying for a medical redshirt, but the 7’1 center believes he could play professional basketball after 2026 and won’t need it. The idea of winning a national championship weighed on him too.
“I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t part of it,” Handlogten said on losing his redshirt. “But ultimately, I don’t even know if I want to, like, go for my fifth year. I think that I have the abilities, and I’m confident in my abilities, that I could go pro after next year. But, I mean, it was kind of just like a safety net, but I’m willing to possibly give that up to – I mean, I think that we have a really solid chance to win the national championship this year, and I’m ready to play for that.”
“It’s the dream to play in March, especially, like, I didn’t get to do it my freshman year at Marshall. Last year was cut short, like a game before, and so it’s definitely played a role, just playing in March Madness. I’ve always wanted to, I dreamed of it as a kid, and so just, like, to have the ability to actually go out there and play, let alone solid minutes on the team. I’m so excited,” Handlogten added.”
Handlogten brings elite rebounding and rim protection to the basketball court, but most importantly, he’s a brother to his teammates. The motivation to get back on the court with his best friends drove his decision.
“Seeing their reaction, it just, it motivated me, because I wanted to be there for them even more, because they were there for me through it all. And that’s part of the reason I want to come back so badly this year, is because I’m ready to be there for them,” Handlogten said.
Handlogten is set to take the court tomorrow night for the first time in 11 months. While you can expect him to have limited minutes, Todd Golden plans on playing Handlogten as long as his cardio holds up.
It will surely be an emotional night for Handlogten and all parties involved.
“My mom called me crying this morning, like, so happy,” Handlogten said. “My dad has been, like, really instrumental in helping me, like, get through this, and so he was always like, by my side whenever we were making, like, the decision, I was talking to him about, weighing the pros and cons about it, and my sisters, they FaceTimed me screaming like, ‘oh my gosh, I can’t believe it’. So they all got tickets to the game, like, driving up tonight.”