5 hours ago 1

Former Arkansas standout Boogie Fland commits to national champion Florida, AP source says

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Former Arkansas standout Boogie Fland, widely considered the top guard in the transfer portal, chose to play for defending national champion Florida on Tuesday.

Fland committed to coach Todd Golden following a two-day visit to Gainesville, according to a person familiar with his decision. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither side has announced Fland's decision publicly.

The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Fland averaged 13.5 points, 5.1 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 21 games with the Razorbacks last season. The freshman from New York averaged nearly 32 minutes a game despite missing time with a right thumb injury that required surgery.

He returned for three postseason games before entering the NBA draft. He withdrew his name from consideration Sunday and made the visit to Florida.

Fland joins Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee and Ohio University transfer AJ Brown in Golden's revamped backcourt. The trio will replace Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard. The Gators also lost fellow guard Denzel Aberdeen to Kentucky.

With Golden at the helm for his third season in Gainesville, the Gators finished 36-4 and beat Houston to clinch the program’s third national title. They won their final 12 games, including four in the NCAA Tournament in come-from-behind fashion.

Florida’s style of play under Golden has drawn rave reviews, leading to sellouts in eight of the team’s last 10 home games. Florida averaged 84.8 points a game this season after setting the program record (85.6) during the 2023-24 campaign.

Golden became the third coach this century to win a national title within his first three seasons on the job, joining North Carolina’s Roy Williams (2005) and UConn’s Kevin Ollie (2014). Williams and Ollie accomplished the feat in their second seasons.

Now, with Fland expected in the fold, the Gators could be favorites to repeat — especially if forward Alex Condon stays in school. The sophomore from Australia is exploring the NBA draft process.

Florida center Rueben Chinyelu announced Monday that he was withdrawing his name from the NBA draft and returning to Gainesville.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

Read Entire Article