Tasked with restocking nearly half of Florida’s basketball roster, and doing so while sharing an Airbnb with two assistants, this represents peak moving month for Todd Golden.
As the portal facilitates unprecedented comings and goings, there will be a decidedly new complexion to the Gators next season. The face of the program, however, remains familiar.
Welcome back, Colin Castleton.
When the fourth-year senior revealed plans to stick around as a fifth-year senior, Golden earned his first unofficial victory as Florida’s head coach. “I think Colin has a chance to be preseason All-American,” Golden told The Athletic after Castleton’s announcement.
The template for convincing a graduating senior to stay was replicated from a year ago at San Francisco. Point guard Jamaree Bouyea had been a double-digit scorer for back-to-back years but hadn’t experienced the sensation of March Madness. The staff’s pitch proved enticing: Come back, we’ll build this thing around you, and we should have a good enough team to make the NCAA Tournament.
Bouyea subsequently became first-team All-WCC last season, setting career highs for scoring, rebounds, assist-to-turnover ratio, free-throw shooting and plus-minus. It culminated with the Dons earning their first NCAA bid in 24 years.
“That’s similar to Colin, where my thought was if he came back and bought into what we were doing, it would be much easier to build an NCAA Tournament roster around him,” Golden said. “That’s something he’s really passionate about accomplishing, after having a sour taste in his mouth last season.”
Sources close to the program say NIL played a role in providing Castleton a financial security blanket for the extra year. Now his shoulder surgery and rehab will be covered by the school and he’ll have a chance to improve his professional profile next year on the court.
Here’s a glimpse at the 10-man roster as it stands with seven returnees and three newcomers:
Colin Castleton – 6-11 power forward/center – Super senior
His low-post savvy made him the SEC’s No. 8 scorer at 16.2 points per game, and he finished third in rebounding (9.0) and second in blocks (2.2). He drew 5.7 fouls per 40 minutes and committed only 2.6, so he didn’t make cheap miscues.
It’s easy to see why he’s a cornerstone. It’s harder to see him as a perimeter threat, considering that 0-for-17 career stat line from 3. But Golden imagines Castleton as a stretch five.