Report: Florida Gators Targeting Todd Golden as Next Hoops Coach

Florida is reportedly closing in on its next basketball head coach.

According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, the Florida Gators are targeting San Francisco's Todd Golden as their next head basketball coach. Thamel's report suggests that Florida intends to move quickly on making Golden's hiring official.

Golden, 36, has three years of head coaching experience, all at San Francisco, where he has compiled a 57-36 record. 

The Dons made their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1998 under Golden's lead this year as a No. 10 seed, but were eliminated in the round of 64 on Thursday following a 92-87 loss to No. 7 Murray State. San Francisco finished the 2021-22 regular season with a 24-10 record.

Before ascending to his first head coaching gig, Golden was an assistant at San Francisco from 2017-19. He also has experience as an assistant in the SEC, having worked at Auburn from 2014-16 as director of basketball operations, and he began his coaching career as an assistant at Columbia from 2012-14.

Golden spent four years as a player at St. Mary's from 2004-07 before a short-lived pro career overseas, spending two seasons with Maccabi Haifa in the Israeli Basketball Premier League from 2008-10.

Golden is expected to replace Mike White as the Gators' head coach, who departed from the program on Sunday to join Florida's SEC rival Georgia Bulldogs on his own accord.

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