Aussie Condon bails on NBA draft, returning to UF

• Jonathan GivonyMay 27, 2025, 12:24 PM ET Close NBA draft analyst and writer Joined ESPN.com in July 2017
  Creator and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service used by NBA, NCAA and global teams

Australian big male Alex Condon will withdraw his name from the 2025 NBA draft and return to Florida for his junior season, he informed ESPN on Tuesday.

“It’s a truly excellent situation waiting for me there,” Condon stated. “A great coach with Todd Golden. Teammates I won a national championship with. I have excellent chemistry with those boys. We have an excellent transfer class being available in. I expect guys to make a leap. My big man coach, Carlin Hartman, is returning, so I will keep establishing my game with him.”

Condon, the No. 38 prospect in ESPN’s draft projections, played an important role in Florida’s national championship run this year and will have a significant say in the Gators’ hopes of repeating next season.Editor’s Picks

1 Associated”It’s a hard thing to do, winning back-to-back, “Condon said.”We’re not taking it gently. We require to get together as a group. Return to Gainesville, share in some difficulty through hard work in the summer season, and get used to playing with each other. Part of the factor we were so good last season was we got used to having fun with each other for 2 years. We require to continue that. When guys have your back, that’s what makes a terrific team.”

Condon was called third-team All-SEC after averaging 10.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.2 helps and 1.3 blocks in 24.9 minutes per game.He assisted Florida to a 36-4 record, consisting of 12 straight wins to end the season to protect the SEC tournament title and after that cut down the internet in San Antonio. He had a memorable efficiency in the national championship game, publishing 12 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals versus Houston, diving on the floor for a loose ball in the final seconds to seal the 65-63 success.

“This was a surreal season,” Condon told ESPN. “There was so much depth on this team, and all of us played unselfishly. A great deal of guys stepped up in big minutes. We had a fantastic team, and that’s the factor we won the champion.”

The Perth, Australia-born big guy was an afterthought in Florida’s 2024 high school recruiting class, a late bloomer who started playing severe arranged basketball at age 16. Prior to that, he preferred cricket, water polo and especially Australian rules football.

“My parents put me in a lot of sports,” Condon said. “That was good for establishing my hand-eye coordination. Playing football helped me develop my durability. I didn’t concern Florida with a lot of expectations. The coaching personnel bet on me, and I wanted to reward them by playing as tough as I could. Coach Golden offered me the chance to play as a freshman, which helped my transition to this year, where I had fun with more confidence and ended up being an important part of the group.”

The NCAA deadline for players to withdraw from the NBA draft and maintain college eligibility is Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. ET.Condon stated he exercised privately for 8 NBA teams before electing to return and spent 5 weeks in Irvine, California, getting ready for the draft.”I discovered a lot

about myself, “Condon said.” Isolating my game and getting with trainers every day, finding out how to be constant. My jumper has actually improved exceptionally with just how much work I have actually taken into that. My overall offending bundle will be on display screen more at Florida next season.”

Golden will have a strong claim for the preseason No. 1 ranking after likewise returning starting center Rueben Chinyelu and 6th male Thomas Haugh, who is anticipated to shift into the beginning small forward place next season.The Gators included

two of the leading guards in the transfer portal in Princeton’s Xaivian Lee and Arkansas ‘Boogie Fland, as well as Ohio’s AJ Brown, in addition to 2 top-40 high school recruits in CJ Ingram (No. 21 in ESPN 100) and Alex Lloyd (No. 36 in ESPN 100). Seven-foot-1 senior huge guy Micah Handlogten will play an essential reserve role, along with junior Slovenian guard Urban Klavzar.Jonathan Givony is

an NBA draft expert and the creator and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private hunting and analytics service utilized by NBA, NCAA and International groups.