GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Thomas Haugh’s return to Florida was a lifestyle decision.
The All-Southeastern Conference forward postponed his chances of becoming an NBA lottery pick last month when he chose to return to school for his senior season. He preferred to live with his best friend and fishing buddy, teammate Alex Condon, for another year, attend college with both of his younger siblings and chase a second national title.
“I took a while to think
about it, probably like three weeks, four weeks,” he said Tuesday. “It was close.”
The money played a role, too.
If Haugh would have been drafted 14th overall (the last lottery pick), he would have signed a four-year deal for more than $26 million that would have paid him $5.4 million as a rookie. Instead, he will make roughly $7 million through name, image and likeness deals at Florida for his final year — with a chance to earn more.
“It’s crazy, but it’s a blessing,” Haugh said, adding that his little sister will keep her part-time job at the O'Connell Center. “I can attribute that to the hard work I’ve put in the last couple of years. My parents, the way they raised me, I just want to represent the University of Florida the best I can. They’re investing that much in me, and I want to invest the same amount of time and practice and hard work back to the university.”
Haugh spent a week in Hawaii with his girlfriend contemplating his decision and credited friends, family members, coaches and even NBA standout Draymond Green with talking him through it. Haugh and Green spent 45 minutes on the phone discussing college versus the pros.
“He said he would come back,” Haugh said.
But maybe the most influential conversation was one that took place between Haugh’s mother, Jennifer, and Walter Clayton’s mom, Cherie. Walter Clayton, an NBA rookie this season, got traded from Utah to Memphis in February, and the former Florida star averaged 7.8 points a game off the bench.
“The NBA life is no joke,” Haugh said. “I think my mom didn’t really realize that until she talked to Walt’s mom a little bit. Like, you can get traded any day of the week. You’re not out there getting dinners with your guys every night or going on fun trips and stuff like that. It’s a job.
“For my mom, it kind of put it into perspective. She was on my back, ‘Hey, we might want to think about going back.’”
Haugh’s return is expected to make the Gators the preseason No. 1 team in the country. They return 11 players from last year’s team — everyone except guard Xaivian Lee and backup center Micah Handlogten — and hope to get another year of eligibility for former Florida and Kentucky guard Denzel Aberdeen.
Florida opened practice Monday, and Haugh said there’s not the normal “awkwardness” to having a bunch of new teammates. But it comes with different challenges.
“I think it just makes expectations even higher,” he said. “Last year we had the pressure of the national championship on our back. But I think we have the same thing this year again — it’s national championship or bust for this team.
“But we’re mature enough. We have a really old group now, so I think we’re going to be really comfortable coming in this season.”
The 6-foot-9, 215-pound Haugh led Florida in scoring last season, averaging 17.1 points, to go along with 6.1 rebounds a game as a junior. He also totaled 73 assists, 58 3-pointers, 36 steals and 33 blocked shots while helping the Gators win the SEC title and secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The 2025 national champions lost to Iowa in the second round of the tournament, a sour ending following a standout season. Coach Todd Golden said last month that outcome — Haugh was sobbing after the game — was pivotal in getting Haugh back alongside Condon and fellow big man Rueben Chinyelu.
“If we would have made a deep run, we probably wouldn’t have as good of a chance of getting it back,” Golden said. “I think that’s reality; that’s human nature. And I think that kind of pours into his competitiveness and the legacy that he wants to leave here at Florida.”
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
