Todd Golden talks Florida job, Billy Donovan, Bruce Pearl and more
New Gators men’s basketball coach Todd Golden joined Sunday’s broadcast of the Florida-Xavier second-round NIT matchup on ESPN.
Golden was hired by UF on Friday after leading San Francisco to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 24 years this season.
Speaking with ESPN’s Mike Morgan and Tim Welsh via Zoom, here were Golden’s comments after the under-12 media timeout in the first half.
Q: Take us through the last few days. What was that process like for you?
Todd Golden: “Well it was a wild week, one that I’ll never forget. Obviously really proud of the season we had at San Francisco and kind of getting that program back on the map and getting back to the tournament, some place that it hadn’t been in a long time. And obviously when you have success at a place where it’s not normally going on, you get a little bit of interest. I’m just incredibly forunate and thrilled that Scott Stricklin and his staff felt comfortable with me, and I’m just pleased to be the guy.”
Q: What was the most enticing thing about the Florida job?
Todd Golden: “I think it’s one of the best jobs in America. I think it’s a play where you can perennially play and compete for national championships. It’s the best school in Florida and it’s a place where there’s a ton of great players and a ton of great tradition and history. Coaches like Lon Kruger and Billy Donovan, guys that I have an incredible amount of respect for. Like when Coach Donovan was winning national championships, it’s a place where you can do that if you get the right people on board. So, when this opportunity came about, I jumped at it as fast as possible.”
Q: What did you learn during your time at Auburn under Bruce Pearl?
Todd Golden: “The time I spent with Bruce I feel like really completed me as a coach. I had a great foundation getting to play and work for guys like Randy Bennett and Kyle Smith. But getting to the SEC, spending time with Bruce and being on the ground floor of that rebuild for the first two years, just gave me a great understanding of what it takes to win at a high level in the SEC. Really to galvanize the fan base, galvanize campus, get the right people on board and really just bring a level of excitement to a program, something that hadn’t been done before. Just learned a lot from him in my two years for sure.”
Q: With the transfer portal, you can assemble a veteran roster much quicker than you could five years ago. How will that help you for next season?
Todd Golden: “It’s a great point. I think the game of college basketball has changed more in the last two years than it has in the previous 20. The transfer portal, whether people like it or not, is a very important part of our profession now and our business is to build a roster. So, I’m going to do my best to keep the guys within the program on board and get them to continue building stronger as we move forward. But there’s going to be some additions through the portal and there’s going to be some guys that are really excited to come play at Florida. I’m excited to get my feet on the ground there and get going.”
