Todd Golden, born on July 7, 1985, in Phoenix, Arizona, is the head coach of the University of Florida’s men’s basketball team. He began his coaching tenure with the Gators in March 2022, following a successful period at the University of San Francisco, where he led the team to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1998.
Playing Career:
- College: Golden played as a guard for Saint Mary’s College from 2004 to 2008. He appeared in 109 games, averaging 5.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. In his senior year, he ranked second nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio and graduated as the school’s all-time leader in free-throw percentage.
- Professional: After college, Golden played professionally for Maccabi Haifa in Israel’s Basketball Premier League from 2008 to 2010, participating in 22 games and averaging 2.2 points per game.
Coaching Career:
- Early Coaching: Golden’s coaching journey began at Columbia University, where he served as an assistant coach from 2012 to 2014. He then joined Auburn University as an assistant coach under Bruce Pearl from 2014 to 2016.
- San Francisco: In 2016, Golden became the associate head coach at the University of San Francisco, and in 2019, he was promoted to head coach. He guided the team to a 24-win season and its first NCAA Tournament bid since 1998.
- Florida: Golden was appointed as the 20th head coach of the Florida Gators on March 18, 2022. In his first season (2022-2023), he led the team to a 16-17 record, including a notable victory over then-No. 2 Tennessee. The following season (2023-2024), the Gators achieved a 24-12 record, finishing as runners-up in the SEC Tournament and earning a seven seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Recent Developments:
In November 2024, Golden faced allegations of sexual harassment and stalking involving multiple women. The University of Florida’s Title IX office conducted a thorough investigation and, in January 2025, concluded that there was no evidence to substantiate the claims, thereby clearing Golden of any wrongdoing.
For a more in-depth perspective, here’s an interview where Coach Todd Golden discusses Florida’s outlook as the No. 1 seed in the West Region: