Gators to start Fland at point guard with Lee sharing duties

BIRMINGHAM, Ala — The Florida Gators, the reigning National Champions, will start former five-star recruit Boogie Fland at point guard, coach Todd Golden said Wednesday at SEC Media Day ahead of the 2025-26 season.

The decision clears up uncertainty about the way Golden will use both Fland, who spent last season at Arkansas, and fellow transfer Xaivian Lee, an all-Ivy League point guard at Princeton in each of the last two seasons, as the Gators attempt to win back-to-back national titles for the second time in school history.

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Despite Golden’s announcement, Lee will remain a key contributor and handle point guard duties when Fland is off the floor for a Florida squad ranked third in the Associated Press preseason top-25 poll.

“[Fland] is going to start at the point for us, but Xavian will be a second-side playmaker and then he’ll play point when [Fland] is out of the game,” Golden said. “And I think they’re both going to have really good seasons. They’ve really kind of come into their own over the last couple weeks. I feel like they’re getting really comfortable with the way we play, and obviously we throw to our big guys a lot and let them be the playmakers and the hubs in the middle of the floor.”

Last season, Golden relied on Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard and Alijah Martin – who were all drafted by NBA teams – to win the national title. Both Lee (5.5 APG last season) and Fland (5.1 APG last season) are both capable ballhandlers for a team with national title aspirations.

According to their teammates, however, Florida’s practices have featured both players as point guards, which has not adversely impacted the flow of the offense.

“Both of them can play point pretty easily,” said Florida star Alex Condon. “If I’m inbounding, I’ll pass it to either one of them. They can both bring the ball up the court super easily, and they’re really good facilitators. So yeah, I think it’s basically the same thing when they’re bringing the ball up the court.”

Fland got off to a spectacular start during his freshmen season with the Razorbacks, averaging 15.1 points, 5.7 assists and 3.4 rebounds over the first 18 games before suffering a hand injury against Florida in mid-January that forced him to miss the second half of the regular season and SEC conference tournament play. He managed to return during the NCAA tournament in a reserve role, playing an average of 17.7 minutes against Kansas State, St. John’s and Texas Tech before the Razorbacks were eliminated.

Fland considered turning pro before withdrawing from NBA draft consideration in mid-May. He officially transferred to Florida a week later.

Lee averaged 16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists last season at Princeton, while shooting over 36% from 3-point range. He announced his move to the Gators in mid-April.