Florida Gators clean up at 2026 SEC Basketball awards with Rueben Chinyelu, Todd Golden leading

Basketball

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Image Credit: UAA

The No. 4 Florida Gators were well-represented Monday when the 2026 SEC Men’s Basketball Awards were announced by the conference at the conclusion of the regular season. Head coach Todd Golden and four different players were honored by the league’s head coaches with no one receiving more individual accolades than junior center Rueben Chinyelu.

The 6-foot-10, 265-pound ruler from Nigeria was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He was also named to the All-SEC second team and SEC All-Defensive team.

Joining him with All-SEC honors are junior forwards Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon, who were respectively placed on the first and third teams. Junior guard Urban Klavžar was named the SEC Sixth Man of the Year for his tremendous shooting coming off the bench.

Golden became the fourth straight program leader to win at least one SEC Coach of the Year, joining Mike White (2017), Billy Donovan (2011, 2013-14) and Lon Kruger (1992, 1994).

Chinyelu is the fourth Gators player in history and first since 2018 to win individual defensive honors — joining Chris Chiozza (2018), Patric Young (2014), Andrew DeClercq (1994) — while Klavžar is the first player in Florida basketball history to be honored for his sixth-man role as that award was not developed until 2016.

Haugh follows Walter Clayton Jr., who was an All-SEC first team selection last season. The Gators had not seen a player receive that honor since Scottie Wilbekin in 2014.