Florida basketball retains CJ Ingram, adds Artūras Butajevas as commitment out of Lithuania

Basketball

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The end of the 2025-26 season did not go as the Florida Gators envisioned, but their start to the 2026-27 season has likely gone better than even head coach Todd Golden could have imagined. Not only have the Gators retained nearly all of their eligible starters from a year ago, they have locked up talented reserves and added key pieces seeking to win the national championship for the second time in three years.

Guard CJ Ingram last week announced he will return to Florida for his sophomore season after appearing in 21 games and playing only sporadic minutes as a true freshman. The son of former Gators star Cornelius Ingram, he was a top 75 prospect in the Class of 2025.

On Monday, center Artūras Butajevas of Lithuania committed to join the Gators. Butajevas (6-foot-10, 215 pounds) averaged 15.6 points and 7.6 rebounds playing the 2025-26 season with the U22 team Unicaja Malaga in Spain. He also averaged 13.9 points and 9.3 rebounds across seven games he played while representing his country during the 2025 FIBA U18 Eurobasket.

“We are very excited to have Arturas join our program,” Golden said. “He is a physical and athletic frontcourt player that has already proven to be highly capable during both international and youth competition. He is a hard worker who will fit seamlessly within our program upon arrival. We are looking forward to him arriving and starting workouts with our team this summer.”

Butajevas will likely be Florida’s final addition ahead of the season, as the program is also bringing in transfer G Denzel Aberdeen (should he receive NCAA clearance for an additional year of eligibility) and freshman center Jones Lay (Hickory, North Carolina), a 7-foot, 230-pounder who is the lone high school player joining the team.

The Gators continue to wait for a final decision from junior C Rueben Chinyelu, the lone player to test the 2026 NBA Draft waters. Guard Xaivian Lee saw his eligibility expire, while redshirt freshman C Olivier Rioux, the tallest teenager in the world, entered the transfer portal eyeing consistent playing time.

Florida is returning starting forwards junior Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon and starting sophomore G Boogie Fland, along with all of its other reserves, including sophomore G Isaiah Brown. As such, assuming Aberdeen is cleared, the Gators are expected to be the preseason No. 1 team in the nation.