Todd Golden

Todd Golden
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamFlorida
ConferenceSEC
Record53–30 (.639)
Biographical details
Born (1985-07-07) July 7, 1985 (age 39)
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Playing career
2004–2008St. Mary's
2008–2010Maccabi Haifa
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2012–2014Columbia (assistant)
2014–2016Auburn (assistant)
2016–2019San Francisco (associate)
2019–2022San Francisco
2022–presentFlorida
Head coaching record
Overall110–66 (.625)
Tournaments0–2 (NCAA Division I)
0–1 (NIT)

Todd Raymond Golden (Hebrew: טוד ריימונד גולדן; born July 7, 1985) is an American former basketball player and current head coach of the Florida Gators men's basketball team.

Early life and education

Golden is Jewish and grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, where he graduated from Sunnyslope High School in 2003.[1] Golden played basketball and baseball at Sunnyslope and helped Sunnyslope win the 2002 Arizona 4A state championship in basketball, scoring 16 of their 61 points in a 61-55 victory.[2]

In 2003, Golden enrolled at Saint Mary's College of California, where he played guard for the Saint Mary's Gaels from 2004 to 2008. The Gaels would make appearances in the 2005 and 2008 NCAA Tournaments during his career, though he did not appear in their sole 2005 NCAA tournament game, a 65–56 loss to Southern Illinois.[2][3] Golden played a total of 109 games with 82 starts, averaging 5.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists.[3] During his senior season of 2007–08, he ranked second in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio, and graduated as the Gaels' all-time leader in free-throw percentage (83.2%) before the record was broken by Matthew Dellavedova.[4]

Pro basketball career

From 2008 to 2010, Golden played for Maccabi Haifa in the Israeli Basketball Premier League.[5] In two seasons with Maccabi Haifa, Golden played in 22 games and averaged 2.2 points.[6] Golden also competed in the 2009 Maccabiah Games with the USA Open Team.[4]

Coaching career

After working in the private sector in advertising sales once his playing career was over, Golden entered the college coaching ranks, joining Kyle Smith's staff at Columbia University, first as director of basketball operations, then as an assistant coach.[7][8] He then took a director of basketball operations position at Auburn under Bruce Pearl, his coach during the 2009 Maccabiah Games.[9] Golden rose to assistant coach with the Tigers in his final season, before reuniting with Smith at San Francisco.

San Francisco

On April 1, 2019, Golden was officially introduced as the 20th men's basketball coach in Dons history, replacing Smith who departed for Washington State.[10][11]

In his first season as head coach, Golden led San Francisco to a 22–12 record (9–7 in conference play) and a fifth-place finish in the WCC. The Dons' season was ended with an 81–77 loss to Gonzaga in the WCC tournament semifinals.

In 2020–21, the Dons took a step back from the year prior, amassing an 11–14 record (4–9 in conference play) and finishing eighth in the WCC. On November 27, 2020, the Dons defeated No. 4 ranked Virginia 61–60, Virginia's first loss to a non-major opponent since their 2018 NCAA Tournament loss to 16-seeded UMBC.

The 2021–22 season was the most successful of Golden's tenure, achieving a 24–10 (10–6 in conference play) record, and qualifying for the NCAA tournament, the program's first appearance since 1998. They lost in overtime 92–87 to Murray State in the first round. The program's 24 wins represented their highest mark since winning 25 games during the 1981–82 season.

Florida

On March 18, 2022, Golden was announced as the next men's basketball coach at Florida, following the departure of Mike White to Georgia.[12][13] His contract with the school is for six years, worth $18 million over the life of the contract.

In 2022-23, Golden's first as head coach, Florida finished 8th in the SEC with a 9-9 record, including a 67-54 win over then #2 Tennessee,[14] but ultimately finished with a losing 16-17 record after consecutive first-round exits in the SEC tournament and NIT to close the season. [15]

Florida amassed a 24-12 record in 2023-24 (11-7 in conference play), including a run to the championship game of the SEC Tournament, where they were ultimately beaten by Auburn. For their season they were awarded a seven seed in the 2024 NCAA tournament, but lost their first-round game to Colorado, 102-100. This team's 24 wins were the most by a Gators team since 2017. [16][17]

Misconduct allegations

On November 8, 2024, The Independent Florida Alligator reported that Golden had been accused of sexual harassment and stalking of an unconfirmed number of women, specifically gearing towards University of Florida students.[18] On November 9, Golden released a statement regarding the allegations, noting that he has sought legal counsel to bring potential defamation claims against undisclosed involved parties.[19]

Personal life

Golden is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Israel.[6] He is married to former Saint Mary's volleyball player Megan York.[4]

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
San Francisco Dons (West Coast Conference) (2019–2022)
2019–20 San Francisco 22–12 9–7 5th
2020–21 San Francisco 11–14 4–9 8th
2021–22 San Francisco 24–10 10–6 4th NCAA Division I Round of 64
San Francisco: 57–36 (.613) 23–22 (.511)
Florida Gators (Southeastern Conference) (2022–present)
2022–23 Florida 16–17 9–9 8th NIT First Round
2023–24 Florida 24–12 11–7 6th NCAA Division I Round of 64
2024–25 Florida 15–1 2–1
Florida: 53–30 (.639) 22–17 (.564)
Total: 110–66 (.625)

References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ a b "Todd Golden". Saint Mary's College of California. Archived from the original on April 10, 2008. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Todd Golden College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
  4. ^ a b c "Todd Golden". University of San Francisco. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  5. ^ "Todd Golden Signs Professional Contract to Play With Maccabi Haifa Heat". SMC California Athletics.
  6. ^ a b "Todd Golden". Israel Basketball Super League. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  7. ^ "Auburn's Todd Golden 'won't quit and won't lose'". AuburnUndercover & ITAT.
  8. ^ "Todd Golden - Men's Basketball Coach". Columbia University Athletics.
  9. ^ "Pearl hires Golden". AuburnUndercover & ITAT.
  10. ^ "MBB - Golden Formally Introduced as 20th Head Coach". University of San Francisco Athletics.
  11. ^ Kroner, Steve (April 2, 2019). "USF introduces Todd Golden as head coach; Bill Cartwright joining program". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  12. ^ "Todd Golden Named Florida Men's Basketball Head Coach".
  13. ^ Salvador, Joseph. "Sources: Georgia Poaching Major SEC Men's Basketball Coach". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  14. ^ "Florida 67-54 Tennessee (Feb 1, 2023) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  15. ^ "2022-23 Florida Gators Men's Roster and Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  16. ^ "2023-24 Florida Gators Men's Roster and Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  17. ^ "Florida Gators Men's Basketball Index". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  18. ^ "UF basketball coach accused of sexual harassment and stalking". The Independent Florida Alligator. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  19. ^ Long, Mark (November 9, 2024). "Florida basketball coach Todd Golden acknowledges school investigation and considers defamation suit". AP News. Retrieved November 10, 2024.