Auburn coach Bruce Pearl and his players had something to say to injured Florida basketball center Micah Handlogten, and the Tigers took to social media to get their message out.
Handlogten, a sophomore who’s in his first year with the Gators after spending his freshman season at Marshall, suffered a gruesome injury in the SEC Tournament championship against Auburn on Sunday. The 7-foot-1 North Carolina native sustained a compound fracture to his lower left leg in the first half. He had surgery that same day and his mother said he is “expected to have a full recovery.”
“Micah, you’re a warrior, man,” Pearl said Tuesday in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter. “You’re a beast. God has always had a plan for you, and I know your faith is strong. You’re going to come out on the other side of this even better. Your team missed you. You guys are going to have another great year next year. War Eagle, brother.”
Handlogten has started 32 of Florida’s 35 games this season, averaging 5.3 points and 6.9 rebounds: “I’m sorry about your injury,” Jaylin Williams said. “We prayed for you. I’m still praying for you today. Hope everything goes well with you and the team in the (NCAA) Tournament.”
“What’s going on, Micah? Get well soon,” Dylan Cardwell said. “Praying for you. Remember Romans 8:28: All things work for those who love God.”
Handlogten responded to the message quickly after it was posted: “Orange and Blue Family!! This means the world guys thank you!!”
“We’re praying for you, brother,” Chad Baker-Mazara added. “Wish you nothing but the best.”
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Auburn chaplain Jeremy Napier previously served as a chaplain/life coach at Marshall, where Handlogten averaged 7.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks as a freshman. Their times at the university did not overlap.
“I just wanted to let you know I love you, man,” Napier said. “Super proud of you. We’re always praying for you daily. We’re always going to be connected because we’ve got a little bit of Herd blood in us. Marshall brothers forever, man. So, take care. We’re going to play for you. We are, man. We love you. We’re thinking about you. War Eagle and go Gators, too. Hopefully we see you guys in the championship game.”
The Tigers will play Yale in the Round of 64 on Friday (4:15 p.m. ET, TNT). The Gators are set to play either Boise State or Colorado that same day (4:30 p.m. ET, TBS). Handlogten plans to make the trip to Indianapolis to watch Florida play.
Richard Silva is a sports reporter for the USA TODAY network. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Micah Handlogten: Auburn sends video message to injured Florida center
