Twenty years ago, Todd Golden was just another player under Randy Bennett at Saint Mary's. While the Gaels have always lived in Gonzaga's shadow in the WCC, this wasn't even the Saint Mary's program we know from recent years. Bennett arrived in 2001 and needed a couple years to get the Gaels on track and Golden was certainly some part of that rise, playing twice in the Big Dance with the school.
While Bennett has spent his entire head coaching career out in Moraga, Golden's rise has been quite otherworldly by comparison. He played briefly in Israel after graduating and even played under Bruce Pearl briefly in an international competition.
When it came time to settling into his coaching career, those connections from Moraga came in handy once again. The Gaels once had a brilliant up and coming assistant named Kyle Smith who had since taken over as Columbia's head coach in the Ivy League. He gave Golden his first coaching gig back in 2012 with the Lions and would hire him a second time out at San Francisco, but there was an important stop in between.
In 2014, Golden accepted the post of director of basketball operations at Auburn, joining Pearl’s first coaching staff with the Tigers. Golden would only stay in Auburn for a couple seasons, but certainly played a role in the initial framework of Auburn’s rebuild. That relationship with Pearl remains strong and was on full display Saturday when Golden and his Gators ended Auburn’s season in the Final Four.
Golden’s own head coaching career didn’t begin at Florida; he accepted succeeded Smith at San Francisco while Smith headed to the Pac-12. Golden would get his own shot at the big leagues after three great years with the Dons and certainly has left no regrets in Gainesville. The Gators made strides in his first two seasons, though they lost their opening round game in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Everything positive that’s been said about Golden has been on full display during this run to the national title game. He’s put together a phenomenal roster, cultivating underrated prospects while turning transfers like Walter Clayton Jr. into some of the nation’s best. Even though he’s picked up his first five NCAA Tournament wins in the last three weeks, it already feels like Golden is a elite coach who isn’t going anywhere in the near future.
How appropriate is it that Golden leads the Gators to their first title game since Billy Donovan won back-to-back titles in the mid-2000’s mere days after Donovan was named to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Every move made by Florida coaches since Donovan’s exist has seen them living in his shadow, but Golden is marking his own path forward. Could he actually win a national championship in just his third season in Gainesville and just his sixth overall as a head coach?
Regardless of what happens on Monday night, the 39-year old is a rising star in this business. The Florida roster will look very different next season and won’t be in the same position Donovan was in with his repeat eighteen years ago, but it’s hard not to trust Golden to find the right pieces and hit the right buttons.
Donovan himself led the Gators to the Final Four when he just 34 years old, but Golden is 40 minutes away from becoming the youngest head coach to win an NCAA Tournament title. It’s not just about setting that record or establishing that history, it’s always been about this Gators squad and how they can hang with anyone. They looked dead against Texas Tech and lost early against Auburn, yet they’re playing for a national title, a testament to both Golden and the players he’s brought to this campus.
Florida has won 17 of their last 18 games including 10 wins over Top 25 teams during that nearly two-month stretch. Golden got this team playing amazing ball all season long and are peaking at the right time. A title for him means everything and already establishes himself among the elites before he even reaches 40 years old.
A title shows that he belongs, that everything he’s learned and seen and done in this game of basketball has led to this incredible moment. He’s learned from smart, inspiring coaches like Bennett, Pearl, and Smith but has this chance to one-up all of them even a decade their junior. Anything can happen in this crazy sport of college hoops, but a Florida title on Monday sets up Golden on a track to potential be an all-time great in this game.