Chinyelu Breaks Florida's Double-Double Record

0:00On March 21, Florida Junior Center Ruben Cheng-Elu just made history for the Gators. In their first round NCAA tournament game against Prairie View A&M, he notched his 19th double-double of the season. That broke the program single-season record, said by Bob Smith, back in the 1975-76 season. Chenyelu transferred to Florida from Washington State ahead of this year. The 6-foot-11 Nigerian natives started all 40 games and helped the team win their third national title ever. He earned SEC defensive player of the year honors, plus scholar-athlete of the year and all SEC second team nods. Coach Todd Golden saw this coming after recruiting Chenyelu from the NBA Academy Africa. Golden praised how he wears down opponents on both ends of the floor and has stepped up as a vocal leader. His energy has boosted confidence in teammates like Alex Condon, Thomas Hall, and Micah Hanladen. Chenyelu improved his scoring around the rim and conditioning this season. That led him guard quicker players while dominating the paint.

1:03His play has been key all year, especially in big games. Right now, the Gators lead Prairie View A&M 65 to 25, with 17 minutes and 36 seconds left in the second half. Chenyelu's record caps a breakout year as Florida pushes deeper into March madness.