SEC Basketball: Expectations for each first-year head coach in 2022-23

SEC Basketball: Expectations for each first-year head coach in 2022-23 season

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 17: Head coach Todd Golden of the San Francisco Dons calls out instructions in the second half against the Murray State Racers during the first round of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 17, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

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Todd Golden SEC Basketball David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /

SEC Basketball, in just a quick couple of years, has become a powerhouse conference in college basketball. Coaches like Eric Musselman and Nate Oats have found almost instant success in a conference that was pretty wide open outside of Kentucky. Now, the conference boasts programs that are consistently in final four and national championship discussions.

With that being said, the conference has six coaches in their first year of the program they were hired by this year. These programs are now trying to play catch up in the SEC basketball revolution and the six new SEC coaches all enter with different expectations.

Todd Golden – Florida

There should be no doubts. Todd Golden has an NCAA Tournament in year one in Florida. The program in Gainesville has been a sleeping giant ever since Billy Donovan left to coach in the NBA and despite an Elite Eight appearance, Mike White could never quite get to the recruiting levels or development levels that were expected at Florida.

Both of those boxes are things that Golden proved to be able to check at San Francisco. Golden took the Dons to the NCAA Tournament in his fourth year as the head coach and likely would have advanced if Yuahen Massalski was able to play. In addition to Massalski, Golden’s four years saw massive improvements from Jamaree Bouyea and Khalil Shabazz.

At Florida, Golden has some young players that become developmental projects this summer. Kowacie Reeves should be the main focus as his athleticism could make him a legitimate NBA prospect. Reeves only played around 15 minutes a game during his freshman season but had a nice finish to the season including a 21-point game in the SEC Tournament against Texas A&M.

In addition to Reeves, Golden was able to snag Will Richard from Belmont and Alex Fudge from LSU through the transfer portal. Richard averaged 12 points per game in his freshman season at Belmont and Fudge, who was part of an exodus at LSU, should be a key defensive piece for Golden as he looks to take a step forward.

Golden will also mix in veterans including Colin Castleton, Kyle Lofton from St. Bonaventure, and Myreon Jones. I currently have Florida ranked 30th and 6th among SEC teams, although it wouldn’t be surprising if Golden had this team competing with some of the projected top teams in the league.

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