After three years of college basketball playing for Todd Golden at Florida, big man Alex Condon has a huge decision to make. Should he stay or should he go? Condon has improved his game each and every season he has been at Florida. He posted career highs in scoring (15.1 PPG), rebounding (7.5 RPG), and distributing (3.6 APG) last year with the Gators. Condon could turn pro, but he should not...
If you want proof of why he should return to school, look at where he is going in NBA mock drafts.
- Bleacher Report: No. 42 overall (Brooklyn Nets via Los Angeles Clippers)
- ESPN: No. 38 pre-tournament rank
- NBA Draft Net: No. 28 overall (Detroit Pistons)
- NBA Draft Room: No. 38 overall (Los Angeles Clippers)
Despite being 6-foot-11 with an all-around great game for a big man, the NBA is not as amused with what he brings to the table as his teammate Thomas Haugh. If any player off this past year's Florida team turns pro, it should be him. It would serve Condon and Rueben Chinyelu to come back for one more season. With Micah Handlogten hitting the portal, that seems to be largely indicative of that.
It is more than just refining his game even more so that could serve Condon before he does turn pro.
Alex Condon should not overthink this and come back to school in 2026
This is a completely different case than what Haugh has going for him. No matter where you look, Haugh is projected to be coming off the board in the teens to early 20s. He may not end up being a lottery pick, but first-round money is too good to pass up. By entering the 2026 NBA Draft, Haugh is more likely than not to end up going to a playoff team with where he is slated to come off the board.
Not to say this is 100 percent what he needs to do, but Haugh mentioned this before the NCAA Tournament began. For as strong as this past year's team was at times, it lacked leadership in non-conference play. While the Gators rounded into form during their SEC slate, a more disciplined Gators team would have made it deep into the second week of the tournament. Could Condon become one?
That is not to say that he is not one. He may already be a huge team leader for Florida. That being said, with Haugh likely off to the NBA, somebody on this Florida team will have to step up. Condon and Chinyelu are chief among them. For now, the NBA can wait, as losing in the Round of 32 cannot be what Condon wants his lasting Florida memory to be. He still has another season to go make it right.
Unless he sees his NBA Draft stock improve dramatically overnight, it is wise for him to go back to UF.