Rueben Chinyelu is officially a problem-and not just for opposing big men. The Florida Gators’ junior forward is imposing his will on games in a way that’s hard to ignore, and his latest performance against LSU only added to what’s quickly becoming a breakout season.
With 15 points and a staggering 21 rebounds in Florida’s 79-61 win over the Tigers, Chinyelu notched his 11th double-double of the season. That stat alone would be impressive.
But it’s how he’s doing it-and when-that’s making waves. Thirteen of those points and 15 of those boards came in the second half, as he simply outlasted LSU in the paint.
It’s the kind of effort that doesn’t just show up in the box score-it changes the tone of a game.
Florida head coach Todd Golden admitted he didn’t quite see this coming-not to this extent.
“I don't know if the vision was every night crazy double-doubles, and 20 rebounds, and really the offensive lift he's been able to give us,” Golden said. “We knew he would impact the game a lot, but, you know, we always knew he impacted a way that not a lot of people understood, because of the physicality in the paint.”
That physicality has become Chinyelu’s calling card. He’s relentless on the glass, and it’s not just about size or strength-it’s about motor.
Against LSU, he grabbed 11 offensive rebounds. To put that into perspective, LSU as a team had just seven.
That’s not just dominance. That’s demoralizing.
And it’s not just coaches and fans taking notice. LSU head coach Matt McMahon had high praise for the Gators’ big man.
“He’s got great strength, physicality and phenomenal hands,” McMahon said. “If he gets his hand on a rebound, you are not taking it away.
He’s improved his skill level during his time here and his ability to finish around the basket. But his motor, physicality and toughness on the glass is better than anybody in the country.”
That’s not hyperbole. Chinyelu is playing with a fire that’s hard to match.
His approach? Simple: play every moment like it’s your last.
“It’s just going out there and playing like every moment is the last minute,” Chinyelu said. “It’s just get the stop and have the next one.
There’s a mentality of the next play and next play. If it affects anyone, then that’s on them.
I’m just going to go out there and do that and repeat it.”
That mindset is paying off. Chinyelu is now riding a streak of four straight double-doubles-the first Gator to do that since 2005.
But he’s not chasing stats. He’s chasing wins.
“It’s a good thing to have, but you’re just trying to go out there and play,” he said. “If it happens, it happens, I’ll take that. But the most important thing is that we got the dub and that all of my teammates are involved and enjoying the process.”
And that team-first mentality is showing up on the scoreboard. Against LSU, Florida didn’t need its usual scorers to carry the load.
Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh struggled, combining for just 14 points on 5-of-20 shooting. But the Gators’ depth picked up the slack.
Urvan Klavzar came off the bench and lit it up with five threes and 18 points. Boogie Fland added 15.
That’s the kind of balance that makes a team dangerous come March.
“It shows the depth we’ve got and the competitiveness that we’ve got,” Fland said. “It shows we don’t have to play our best basketball and still have a 20-point game.
So imagine if we do play our best basketball, (and) what that looks like. We still haven’t hit our peak yet, and we still have more room to grow and more things to do.”
That’s a scary thought for the rest of the SEC. Florida is still finding itself, still building chemistry-and still winning big. And at the heart of it all is Chinyelu, anchoring the paint with a work ethic that’s rubbing off on everyone around him.
“It’s definitely a player of the year mentality,” Fland said. “He’s doing everything we need him to do. He’s just being himself and is out there having fun.”
And when Rueben Chinyelu is having fun, Florida is winning. That’s a formula the Gators will gladly ride for as long as it lasts.