College basketball is back. Monday’s opening day was highlighted by the matchup between defending champion Florida and No. 13 Arizona in Las Vegas. On the opening day of the season, fans were bound to see some of the quirky moments that make college hoops so fun. And the top-25 matchup between the Gators and Wildcats didn’t disappoint in the first half.
As Florida big man Rueben Chinyelu crashed the boards to fight for a rebound, the front of his jersey got entirely ripped off, leaving him without the “Florida” script and his No. 9 as play continued on.
Rueben Chinyelu's Florida jersey was "completely torn off the front" against Arizona.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 4, 2025
Brian Andreson and Grant Hill with the call for TNT Sports. 🏀 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/aPZFJlK0DS
He went to the bench and asked for a foul as he pointed toward his destroyed shirt, because that had to be some sort of foul, right?
Luckily for Chinyelu, the Florida student managers were ready to take action. Per TNT’s Andy Katz on the broadcast, the managers sprinted back to the locker room to find a replacement. They found one bag with two pairs of shorts and one jersey, which was No. 34. Chinyelu put on the new number without his name on the back and was ready to go for the rest of the game. Hopefully he doesn’t find himself in a similar situation, though, because he may just be out of luck.
Andy Katz provides a Rueben Chinyelu jersey update and explains the hustle of the Florida student managers. 🏀🎙️ https://t.co/ziWuPdy2KN pic.twitter.com/CBAWlgqgXG
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 4, 2025
Props to the managers for thinking on their feet and resolving the matter without letting much time pass in the game.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Florida Basketball Managers Hustled to Find a New Jersey When Player's Was Ripped Apart.
