Florida lands a biggie in Boogie

The last image we have of the 2024-25 college basketball season is of Houston guard Emanuel Sharp crouched on the floor of the Alamodome, crushed as his non-shot turnover allowed the Florida Gators to escape with the NCAA championship. That was nearly two months ago, and while it remains fresh in the minds of those coaches, players and fans, the two respective programs have moved on and are readying themselves for yet another run at a title this coming winter.

Florida’s efforts in that regard gained considerable steam on Tuesday when Boogie Fland, a former five-star prospect who excelled at Arkansas as a freshman despite missing nearly two months with a hand injury, committed to Todd Golden’s Gators. Our Alex Squadron has the latest on that development and what it means for Florida. Short answer: It means they’ll be really good — again.

As for Houston, our correspondent Eric Prisbell went to H-Town recently to check in on Kelvin Sampson. When Eric asked Sampson about the loss to Florida, Sampson gave him an answer that stretched for 38 minutes. That’s right — 38 minutes. You can read what Sampson had to say and why despite that anguish, optimism abounds that Houston can have a happier ending next season.

Throw in our up-to-the-minute transfer portal coverage, courtesy of our partners at The Portal Report, and a look inside the recruitment of some of the top high school prospects, and you’ve got yet another busy day in our favorite sport. Off-season? What off-season?

Have a great Wednesday, and thanks as always for your support of Hoops HQ. —Seth

WE GO 1-ON-1 WITH HOUSTON COACH KELVIN SAMPSON

By Eric Prisbell

Nearly two months have passed since Houston’s season for the ages concluded, and two sentiments inescapably co-exist: Anguish lingers, yet optimism abounds.

If you think the Cougars have been able to quickly put a pretty bow on last season and swiftly move on in the wake of the last-minute national title game heartbreak against Florida, consider this: When Hoops HQ opened an interview with Kelvin Sampson by asking how much he has revisited the game’s ending in his mind, the coach responded with a 38-minute answer.

On a May morning in his office, Sampson had zero interest in small talk about the NBA Playoffs, certainly not with the machinations of the college hoops calendar on overdrive: Houston's point guard Milos Uzan declared for the Draft; two transfers, including Creighton's Pop Isaacs, will soon arrive; and the coach has been criss-crossing the country, including visiting Atlanta-area high school gem Caleb Holt, in a never-ending pursuit to continually upgrade the roster. Those arrivals have landed the Cougars at or near the top of most every way-too-early Top 25 lists, as well as the No. 1 position in Bart Torvik’s 2025-26 preseason rankings.

The grind never stops.

"Not if you want to win, it don't," Sampson said as he sat on his office couch. Beside him were the net he cut down inside Lucas Oil Stadium to punctuate his second Final Four appearance with the Cougars and the encased American flag that flew over The Alamo the night Houston authored its epic 14-point comeback over Duke in the semifinals.

An hour after the confetti fell April 7, Houston's locker room was awash in emotion. But the lone message on the locker room white board — 35-5, underlined — served as a reminder of a season never to be forgotten. And Sampson, for certain, wasn't one to wallow in misery.

He is a 69-year-old shaped by routine, whether it's making his bed every day or eschewing the elevator for the stairs in Houston's basketball facility. So back at the team hotel in the wee hours of the April 8 morning, Sampson....

BOOGIE GOES TO THE GATORS

By Alex Squadron

The reigning champs are loading up for a run at another title.

Florida has secured the commitment of high-profile transfer Boogie Fland, a 6-foot-2 guard who played for Arkansas last season. A former McDonald’s All-American, Fland shined for the first half of the 2024-25 campaign, averaging 15.1 points, 5.7 assists and 3.4 rebounds through 18 games before suffering a right hand injury in mid-January. Fland missed the remainder of the regular season and was limited to just 17.7 minutes per game in the NCAA Tournament, when the Razorbacks advanced to the Sweet 16. Before his injury, he was leading all freshmen in both assists and assist-to-turnover ratio and had four games with at least 20 points.

After Fland withdrew his name from the NBA Draft during last week's Combine, Florida immediately emerged as a strong candidate to land the rising sophmore in part because his agent is Mike Miller, who starred for the Gators from 1998-2000 under coach Billy Donovan.

The addition of Fland, an All-SEC caliber talent, makes Florida a clear contender to run it back. Despite losing standout guards Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard, the Gators should once again have one of the strongest backcourts in the country; in April, they signed Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee, a 6-foot-4 rising senior who made the All-Ivy League First Team. Lee averaged 16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists for the Tigers. Both he and Fland were in Hoops HQ’s Top 25 ranking of the best players in the portal.

Florida is still waiting for 6-foot-11 sophomore forward Alex Condon to decide....

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