Four Florida Gators to compete in basketball at the Olympics

The Paris Olympics will get underway this Friday with the opening ceremonies, and the Florida Gators will be well-represented in France. 41 current and former Gators will be in France, representing 21 different countries from around the world.

Most of Florida's representation will be in track and field and swimming, but four Gators will be taking part in basketball throughout the games.

Canyon Barry

After coming to Florida as a grad transfer for the 2016-17 season, Canyon Barry averaged 11.4 points per game as a rotation player who averaged 21 minutes during his lone season in Gainesville.

Most noted for his use of taking free throws underhanded, Barry had stints in Europe and the NBA G League before settling in with the USA 3x3 basketball squad.

Barry will compete in the 3x3 competition for Team USA with teammates Kareem Maddox, Jimmer Fredette, and Dylan Travis.

Andrew Nembhard

The player Mike White couldn't figure out how to unlock, Andrew Nembhard was with the Gators for two seasons before he transferred to Gonzaga in 2020.

When his time with Gonzaga was over, Nembhard was drafted by the Indiana Pacers in 2022 and has been a key contributor to the team for the past two seasons. These past playoffs, he averaged 14.9 points per game during Indiana's 17 games.

Nembhard will be a member of Canada's squad in the traditional basketball competition.

Rhyne Howard

The number one pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft to Atlanta, Rhyne Howard played her college basketball at Kentucky and has been averaging 15.4 points per game during the 2024 WNBA season.

Howard's connection to the Gators is that she joined the women's basketball staff last year as an Assistant Coach / Director of Player Personnel, a role she fulfilled during her WNBA offseason.

Howard wlll be a member of USA 3x3 team.

Nick Calathes

During his time in Gainesville, Nick Calathes was a key member of Billy Donovan's squads from 2007 through 2009 and was selected to the All-SEC First Team in 2009. That season he averaged 17.2 points per game to go along with 6.4 assists per game.

Calathes was drafted in the 2009 NBA Draft by Minnesota, but opted instead to go play in Europe. He had a brief stint with the Memphis Grizzlies before heading back over to Europe and has racked up almost any honor in the EuroLeague one could think of.

While he was born and raised in Florida, Calathes has Greek heritage and he is a member of the national team for Greece.