Former Gators' Target Makes Transfer Decision

Former Florida Gators men’s basketball transfer target Desmond Claude committed to the Washington Huskies on Sunday, On3’s Joe Tipton announced on X. Claude was, at one point, an important target for the Gators. 

After seeing Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard all depart the program this summer, the thought was that Florida needed at least two guards this summer to fill out the backcourt. One was expected to be a starter, while the other may have had a more significant role off the bench. 

Luckily for the Gators, they already had earned a commitment from former Princeton guard Xaivian Lee early in the offseason to pair with Denzel Aberdeen. 

Or so they thought. 

Surprisingly, Aberdeen decided to exit stage right and transfer to Kentucky this offseason, leaving the Gators with a glaring hole in their starting five once again. 

That’s where the former USC Trojan came into play. Things had even looked like it was trending well for the Gators to land Claude’s services following a campus visit. 

However, it never came to fruition. Claude began taking other visits shortly after his one to Florida, and the Gators started their search for a new guard to add to the roster. 

With it playing out this way, Gators head coach Todd Golden then shifted his focus to former Arkansas Razorback Boogie Fland. While it was unclear if Fland would withdraw his name from the NBA Draft, Golden kept working behind the scenes. 

He pushed all the right buttons with the former five-star prospect and ultimately landed him after he announced his return to college for his sophomore year. 

In addition to these two, Florida also secured a commitment from former Ohio guard AJ Brown, the brother of current Florida guard Isaiah Brown. 

By grabbing Fland, Lee and Brown, the Gators have their backcourt locked in. In the starting spots, Fland and Lee are expected to be given the nods. Then, they’ll have the likes of Urban Klavzar, the Brown brothers and Alex Lloyd as reinforcements off the bench for the guard spots. 

Florida will begin their season Nov. 3 in Las Vegas against Arizona. 

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