Florida’s leading scorer chooses Gators over NBA draft, will return for senior year

Thomas Haugh was devastated by the way his junior season with the Florida Gators ended.

That may be the reason the Gators’ leading scorer is returning for his senior campaign.

Haugh announced on Tuesday, April 21, he will be back for head coach Todd Golden’s squad. The top-seeded Gators suffered a 73-72 loss to the eighth-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes in the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 32.

Haugh, projected as a lottery pick in the upcoming NBA draft, played a key role on Florida’s 2024-25 national championship team.

“I think that lit a fire underneath me,” Haugh said of the loss to Iowa, per ESPN. “I [didn’t] want my last memory of Florida basketball to be that.”

A 6-foot-9 forward, Haugh averaged 17.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 2025-26. He earned third-team AP All-America status and was a first-team All-SEC pick.

During the championship season, Haugh came off the bench for the Gators, averaging 9.8 points, 6.1 boards and 2.2 assists. He turned in a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds during an Elite Eight victory over Texas Tech.

ESPN listed Haugh 13th on its NBA draft board.

“Most guys in my position in the draft, it would be a no-brainer to go to the NBA,” Haugh said. “It’s not just the NIL. It’s a chance to play with my boys. To play for coach Golden. To go to the school I love to play for. It was definitely a tougher decision than last year, but it was best for my career and future.”

Also, Florida is returning forward Alex Condon, who averaged 15.1 points and 7.5 rebounds last year, for his senior year. Center Rueben Chinyelu (10.9 ppg, 11.2 rpg) is testing his NBA prospects but may opt to return as well.

“Getting this group of guys back together for one last run, they’re going to have a lot of attention and notoriety, a lot of it deserved,” Golden said. “We’re going to have a ton of pressure, a ton of eyeballs on us this year. But it’s a privilege.”