‘I started focusing on other things’
The regular routine could be to assessment tape and break Condon’s particular person recreation down, however Hartman by no means even bothered to open his laptop computer.
Instead, the 2 simply talked.
They talked about Condon’s path from Australia, his Southeastern Conference All-Freshman Team season and the way his relentless motor and growing talent set had caught the eye of NBA scouts through the Gators’ pulsating run to the 2025 NCAA championship. They talked about some private issues, household issues, that had been on Condon’s thoughts and, sure, addressed his 15% taking pictures from the 3-point line and incapacity to hit wide-open ones by way of 20 video games.
“When he got some things off his chest I was able to look at him and remind him about who he was as a freshman and how he made us have to play him because he was an absolute ass-kicker and one of the hardest-playing dudes anywhere,” Hartman mentioned. “It was because of those things, those traits, that NBA teams were talking about using draft capital on him. It had nothing to do with shooting the ball. It was the ass-kicking stuff. I told him to get back to being that guy. Get back to being that winning player on both ends of the floor.”
There’s a cause the Florida “bigs” — the best entrance courtroom assortment in faculty basketball — consult with Hartman as “OG” (as in “Original Gangster”). He loves them they usually comprehend it. He cares about them they usually comprehend it. More than that, he is aware of them they usually comprehend it.
“After we talked, I started focusing on other things,” Condon mentioned.
This is to not lay every thing about Florida’s present 10-game successful streak at Condon’s ft (and memorable low-post footwork), however the tear the 6-foot-11, 236-pounder has been on of late is excessive on a prolonged listing of causes the fifth-ranked Gators (24-6, 15-2) will wrap their common season Saturday in opposition to Kentucky (19-11, 10-7) at sold-out Rupp Arena because the 2026 SEC champions.
The UF buzz noticed run since that Auburn buzzkill has been gorgeous in its destruction, with UF taking pictures 52.7% as a crew, together with 37% from the 3-point line, defending opponents at 38.4%, smashing them on the glass by plus-13.5 rebounds per outing, whereas scoring 93.2 factors a recreation with a median victory margin of 23.2 factors.
[Ready senior writer Chris Harry‘s “Pregame Stuff” setup here]
The numbers put up by the man they name “Condo” have been a microcosm of his crew’s, although he is hardly been the lone standout alongside the best way. Nonetheless, Condon is at 17.5 factors on 59.8% taking pictures from the ground (whereas taking simply eight 3s, making a pair), 7.0 rebounds and three.6 assists. Over the final 5 video games, he is at 22.0 factors per recreation on 76.7% total.
In Tuesday night time’s 108-74 wipeout of Mississippi State, with scoring chief Thomas Haugh sidelined by an harm, Condon poured in a season-high 26 factors, grabbed seven rebounds and dished three assists and not using a turnover in 26 minutes.
“He was fantastic,” UF coach Todd Golden mentioned after watching Condon make 12 of his 19 field-goal makes an attempt and assist the Gators to a 61-point second half. “We knew without Tommy being out there that we needed to lean on Condo to keep us organized and to make sure our competitive spirit was in the right place. He got into some foul trouble and he was able to play through that and not let it affect different parts of his game. His offense is elite. He just put the ball in and no turnovers, very poised. Over the last few weeks, he’s played like a first-team All American.”
Worth noting: Back in October, The Associated Press put Condon on its preseason first-team All-America squad.
Now, he is residing as much as the billing by getting again to the intangibles the Gators noticed in him within the first place. The timing couldn’t be higher.
GEM FROM DOWN UNDER
In the summer time of 2022, mere months after arriving at Florida by means of the University of San Francisco, UF’s coaches went to a match in Las Vegas to scout prospects. The subject was loaded with worldwide gamers, together with a Nigerian named Rueben Chinyelu, who barely acquired off the bench in a recreation in opposition to a crew from, sure, Australia.
Jonathan Safir, then UF’s director of analytics, was within the bleachers that day. Impressed, he referred to as Golden instantly.
“There’s this other guy,” Safir mentioned.
The Gators immediately went into background-checking mode and beloved the intel.
Condon grew up in an athletic household in Perth, Australia. His father was a soccer star Down Under and mom a swimmer for the nationwide crew. Alex had blossomed right into a standout soccer and cricket participant and was effectively into his teenagers earlier than turning his consideration to basketball as he acquired taller.
“He always loved the contact in football,” recalled father Damien Condon. “His first year in tackle [football] we talked about it. I told him the harder you go in, the less you get hurt. Now, his mom didn’t like that, but Alex did. And I think he still thinks like that. I don’t know that he’s ever known another way. He just stuck his head in there.”
There had been loads of bruises and bloody noses alongside the best way (Aussie soccer is performed with out pads), however younger Alex not solely was undeterred by the contact, he excelled at it – and beloved it. Had he remained on the soccer monitor, with out query, knowledgeable profession was there for the taking, however basketball was rising on Alex the identical time he was rising (actually and figuratively) into one of many high prospects within the nation.
“Basketball just had a higher ceiling for me,” Condon mentioned.
Saint Mary’s, Utah and SMU aggressively chased, however when the Gators acquired within the image and Condon took an official go to to Gainesville in December of ’22 — hosted by All-SEC ahead Colin Castleton — he was bought.
“We liked the bigger program and idea of playing in the SEC, with the competition being so great. We liked the Florida weather too, being a lot like Australia,” Damien Condon gushed of the Gators, regardless of the campus being a half-day away (as in 12 time zones) from residence. “Todd was very plain with his vision for Alex. He’d played at Saint Mary’s with some Australian players and knew the language, sort of speak. And we loved Carlin. We knew he’d have a lot to do with Alex.”
When Condon and Haugh, his freshman classmate-turned-bestie, arrived the next spring, the Gators had been coming off a 16-17 season that marked simply this system’s second shedding document in 25 years. Hartman acquired with each gamers and went to work on their particular person abilities, with the workers pleasantly stunned not solely on the work ethic of the 2 however their potential.
Some longtime UF basketball watchers in this system even likened the uncooked and rookie Condon to a younger Joakim Noah.
As a freshman, Condon performed in all 36 video games, with one begin, and averaged 7.7 factors and was third on the crew in rebounding at 6.4 per recreation, regardless of taking part in simply 20 minutes per recreation. The Gators received 24 video games, however misplaced beginning heart Micah Handlogten to a season-ending damaged leg within the SEC Tournament title recreation. Condon’s lone begin got here within the NCAA Tournament 5 days later. He had six factors and 7 rebounds in a crushing 102-100 buzzer-beating loss in opposition to Colorado within the first spherical.
A yr later, after a sophomore marketing campaign when he scored 10.6 factors, grabbed 7.5 rebounds, blocked 49 photographs and earned third-team All-SEC honors, the ’24-25 season famously ended with Condon diving throughout the Alamodome flooring to cradle a free ball as the ultimate horn sounded in Florida’s pulsating 65-63 victory over Houston within the NCAA championship recreation.
He caught his head in there.
CHARTING THE GATORS: Poster Program Guy
Junior ahead Alex Condon’s numbers have elevated with every season from his freshman yr, as he is grown within the UF basketball program.
| Season | Games / Starts | Minutes per recreation | Points pg | Field aim % | Rebounds pg | Assists pg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 36 / 1 | 20.3 | 7.7 | .462 | 6.4 | 1.2 |
| 2024-25 | 37 / 35 | 25.1 | 10.6 | .493 | 7.5 | 2.2 |
| 2025-26 | 32 / 32 | 29.8 | 15.2 | .548 | 7.9 | 3.3 |
Condon entered the NBA analysis course of final spring, however opted to return for his junior season. Things acquired off to a rocky begin in 2025-26 — the Gators, with an all-new backcourt, had been 5-4 in December, then 9-5 in early January after shedding the SEC opener at Missouri — however the coaches and gamers figured issues out on the fly, relative to roles and chemistry on the ground. A case could be made that no crew within the nation was higher through the month of February.
Just in time for March.
“As a father, you want to help your children make the right decision and he obviously did. He came to a great college, with great coaching and was surrounded by people like Walt [Clayton Jr.], Alijah [Martin], Will [Richard], Tommy and all their great families,” mentioned Damien Condon, including he generally cries simply serious about that epic night time in San Antonio. “Alex could have left, but he chose to come back and wants to do it all again. He loves being a Gator. It’s in his DNA now. So is the winning.”
So, about that successful …
JUST ONE OF “THE LADS”
Per week after the Auburn loss, the Gators had been again at Exactech Arena/O’Connell Center in opposition to Twenty third-ranked Alabama in a recreation with excessive SEC stakes. The Gators performed remarkably. So did Condon, who went for 25 factors, seven rebounds and 6 assists and not using a turnover, making controversial (and non permanent) Crimson Tide massive man Charles Bediako appear to be a profession G-Leaguer.
Hartman beamed over the stat-stuffing efficiency, but additionally raved about components of Condon’s recreation followers might not see. That’s as a result of, at his finest, Condon is a lot greater than only a savvy low-post scorer and relentless defender. Hartman, actually, appears to be like at him like a second level guard. More particularly, a high-post playmaker that may reset the offense.
“He has this ability to keep us in the offense, even when things might be breaking down. He knows when to come high and when to play a certain way on the floor to get a guy a shot,” Hartman mentioned. “These are things, even for coaches, that are hard to teach. He got good at it last year and look at him now.”
Condon’s 68 assists rank third on the crew. He’s had six video games of not less than six assists, together with two with a career-high eight.
He’s additionally had a handful of turnover-plagued video games; six within the season-opening loss in opposition to Arizona; six extra in residence wins in opposition to Florida State and South Carolina; a career-worst seven in a victory at Georgia.
In every occasion, nevertheless, Condon refused to permit his errors on offense to have an effect on his play on protection. That’s the tip of the ground the place the Gators are at their finest and use their elite protection to create offense. That form of short-memory requires a sure toughness and unselfishness that’s distinctive.
“When something doesn’t go perfect for him, he’s not pouting or blaming others. He’s just competing his ass off on the defensive end and doing everything he can to prevent the other team from scoring,” Golden mentioned. “Condo is one of those guys that people want to poke and prod at, but the guy is on the right side of winning most every night. He deserves a lot of credit for that.”
But is not searching for it.
“I feel like I’m just having fun,” Condon mentioned. “We’re very lucky to come out here and play basketball as college athletes, so I’m just grateful for the opportunity and having fun with it. We’re in a fun time of our lives.”
Added Golden: “I think he was just kind of the last one [on the team] to get to the point where it was like, ‘You know, F it! I’m not going to worry about anything except playing as hard as I can and making sure we’re winning. After the Auburn game, I thought we kind of hit that inflection point and he’s been remarkable since.”
Like his crew. Ten in a row is this system’s longest win streak in SEC play since 2014. All however one, a 94-85 defeat of Kentucky on the O’Dome on Feb. 14, have come by double digits.
In that victory over the Wildcats, Condon posted one among his seven double doubles of the season, tallying 14 factors and 11 rebounds. The win was the fifth for the reason that Auburn defeat and Condon was requested his ideas about the best way he’d seemingly put a long way between his on-court struggles.
His reply had nothing to do with him.
“Yeah, I think it’s just more a team resolve,” Condon mentioned. “I’m really happy about the total effort from the lads.”
And 5 video games later, “the lads,” together with their invigorated ass-kicker, stay on a roll.
Email senior author Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu. Find his story archives here.
