The biggest story of Florida’s offseason — and arguably all of college basketball — was the return of senior forward Thomas Haugh, who was projected as a first-round pick and potential NBA Draft lottery selection.
For a while, it felt inevitable that Haugh would turn pro. Although the decision was never discussed during the season, the sense around the program was that he would be headed to the NBA.
“We hadn’t talked about him coming back,” head coach Todd Golden said. “So we were all kind of on the same page that this was probably going to be his last rip. And I didn’t think it was fair to him or fair to us to be worrying about that as we were trying to win games.”
Haugh became more open to the possibility of returning to Florida after a conversation with Draymond Green. The four-time NBA champion spent four seasons at Michigan State before beginning his now 14-year NBA career. Green highlighted the differences between college and NBA life during a conversation arranged by Haugh’s former teammate, Will Richard, who is now Green’s teammate on the Golden State Warriors.
“He actually had an amazing conversation, which I might be oversharing, but it might be worth talking to him about. He talked to Draymond Green, which I think was orchestrated through Will (Richard) a little bit,” Golden said. “And they caught up and Tommy was asking about the NBA and all these different things. And I think Draymond gave him great perspective on what life in the NBA is like and what life in college is like and how enjoyable it is, and it allowed him to be like, all right, like, the NBA, not sounding arrogant, but it will be there for him. It’s gonna be there. And he only has one more opportunity to be at Florida. So they had a great conversation. And I think that got him kind of thinking.”
While Florida felt momentum beginning to shift in its favor, the staff didn’t want to leave anything to chance and asked to meet with Haugh after he returned from his vacation in Hawaii. Haugh obliged, and Golden traveled to Los Angeles alongside assistants Carlin Hartman and Jonathan Safir to meet with their star forward in hopes of receiving good news.
They got it.
“I reached out to him and asked him for the opportunity to go out and meet him in LA when he got back, took Carlin and Jonathan out there with us, with me. And, you know, we were hoping that this was kind of going our way over the past week, but he wasn’t really giving us a whole lot as he was lounging in Hawaii. And then he gets back and you know, we met in LA and again, like we felt 48 hours before that it was starting to shift our way a little bit, but I didn’t want to take anything for granted and you know, we watched them work out and had lunch with them, and he gave us the great news and obviously all of us, were in great spirits for the rest of the day – and still are for a matter of fact.”
It’s no secret that a conversation with Draymond Green and a strong pitch from Florida’s staff were not the only factors in Haugh’s decision to return. In today’s era of college athletics, players can earn substantial money through revenue sharing and name, image and likeness opportunities.
Golden also emphasized that Haugh is uniquely positioned to capitalize on those opportunities because of his growing profile, personality and marketability, both within Florida and nationally.
“I think I was quoted in I can’t remember what article talking about Tommy, like, he has legitimate NIL value. Like, the issue for the past couple of years is the synthetic NIL, where it’s pay for play. Tommy, has the ability to go to major brands, whether it be across Florida or to go nationwide, and be a part of marketing campaigns,” Golden said.
“He’s obviously a stud kid, a good looking kid. He’s gonna graduate. He’s got connections and that longevity of being here on campus where he will be recognized nationally. So, that was part of the conversation. If you’re here at Florida, you can take advantage of that. if you are playing for the Pacers next year, are you going to be able to take advantage of that? So there are advantageous things about being in college right now compared to the pros which are unique, and as long as we can, we have to leverage those things.”
Haugh joins Alex Condon, Boogie Fland, Urban Klavzar, Alex Lloyd, CJ Ingram, Alex Kovatchev, Isaiah Brown, AJ Brown and Viktor Mikic as returning members of Florida’s roster in Gainesville. The Gators are still awaiting a decision from Rueben Chinyelu, as the Nigerian center is participating in the NBA Draft Combine while maintaining his college eligibility.