Micah Handlogten is on the verge of glory a year after suffering a heartbreaking injury that sidelined him for 11 months.
The 7ft 1in Florida center should have been reflecting with his teammates after losing to Auburn 86-67 in the SEC Tournament Championship in March 2024.
GettyHandlogten has overcome adversity to close in on the NCAA Championship[/caption]Instead, he was awaiting treatment for the broken leg he suffered when coming down from a rebound.
The Gators got revenge on Auburn with a 79-73 victory in the Final Four — Handlogten had four rebounds in nine minutes as he continues his recovery to full fitness.
“You can’t write it up any better,” Handlogten ahead of the game. “It’s a great story.”
“It just adds to the excitement for me, personally. Since a kid, I’ve dreamed of being in the Final Four, watching it every day, sneaking my phone into class, getting in trouble with the teachers watching March Madness.
“Just to add the fact that it’s my first game against the team that I got hurt against, it’s really something special to me.”
Doing it the hard way runs in the family.
Micah’s father Ben — a lifelong Detroit Pistons fan — went undrafted out of Western Michigan in 1996.
He was signed to his boyhood team as a free agent in September of that year only to be cut before the regular season to leave his NBA dream on the brink.
Ben joined his hometown Grand Rapids Hoops of the Continental Basketball Association as his first pro club before moving to Turkey, Japan, Italy, and Greece in a tour of the European game.
He won the Turkish Super League in 2001 and was named a Greek League All-Star two years later.
GettyFather Ben had to fight his way into the NBA via Europe[/caption] GettyMicah gave up his redshirt season to help his team[/caption]Off the back of that season, where he averaged 16.8 points, 1.4 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game, the 6ft 11in center finally made The Association.
Joining the Utah Jazz as a free agent, he averaged 4.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 0.4 assists over 17 games playing alongside Russian hooper Andrei Kirilenko, known as AK-47, before a season-ending ACL injury on December 26, 2003.
After being traded to the Phoenix Suns and waived shortly later, Ben re-signed with Utah and played in 21 more games before a brief stint as a New Jersey Net.
Retiring in 2006 after playing in South Korea, the center moved into business. He currently works as a Project Manager for Pfaff Molds.
Micah’s decision to return was a tough one — he had to forgo his redshirt and give up a season of eligibility to make March Madness.
But amid an injury crisis, he stepped up after talking to his family.
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“I think the sky’s the limit when everybody gets healthy,” Handlogten said of his team in February. “I literally think we can win the national championship.”
He was right and the rewards could be significant.
“Micah is one of the most unselfish guys I’ve ever been around. He’s always worried about the team and the program, and I think he saw another opportunity where he could really help and become a physical part of this as we move forward,” said head coach Todd Golden.
“He missed out on playing in the [NCAA] Tournament last year. He was tracking on missing out with what this season was going to be.
“He deserves more than that. He was a big part of getting our program where it is today and I think he’ll continue to help us get even better the rest of the year. It’s a huge lift from us.”
Micah may not start against the Cougars, but will know he played a key role if the Gators clinch the trophy.
If not, he will have a final chance in 2026 as a senior a year further removed from his injury.
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