As Florida Todd Golden built the perfect list in the chaos era

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San Antonio – Faculty basketball has entered the era where great new toys get titles. Programs who are able to land the best players from the transfer portal are usually considered to be big winners of the off -season and, as a result, generate more buzzing than others entering the new season.

Starting this season, Florida was not one of those programs that created the tone of the off -season buzz, bringing a recruitment class that ranked outside the top 60 in the country and a transfer class that was listed in the country as 35. Walter ClaytonOne of the best players returning to SEC, but a guy who was not on anyone’s NBA draft radar. He and Will Richardwho was the first recruit of Todd Golden in Florida, he would try to bring Gators back to the national radar.

There were more questions than the answers around the Gator entering the season and the main one is simple:

Would this be a breakthrough year for Todd Golden?

Florida went 40-29 in the first two years of Golden’s term, which included originally upset in Colorado in 10th place in the introductory round of the NCAA 2024 tournament. Without a single victory in a big dance, but a solid continuity of Roster, Golden’s Gators was ranked 21 years after returning six of their best nine shooters, adding Aliah Martin From Fau and looks like they could take the next step.

Fast forward to Monday night in San Antoni, where Golden and Gators jumped with joy with blue and orange confessions flying with a raft to celebrate the national championship. It was a scene that would be almost relentless if this marathon started in March.

But the first state title of Florida since 2007 serves as a great case that they look dedicated to the process. About what an analytical approach and rejection would have earlier than anyone else in the game of the NCAA tournament to expand this. Not reminded by the list after a disappointing ending, but instead, based on it, relying on the continuity and developing an unquestionable identity in any and all situations.

“We are in this position because we kept Walter (Clayton), Will (Richard), Alex (Condon), Tommy (Haugh) and Denzel (Aberdeen), “Golden said.” We were able to fit in and enter the right pieces. We are now at the site of our program where we want to hire young guys with a high sign of children who want to be Gators, whether they play a lot or not as a freshman. Then retention, retaining, retaining will be huge. ”

Retaining, retaining, retaining. He does not win titles in the off -season, but he won every title that was ultimately important on Monday night.

It is an intolerable to why Gators are the last team to stand in the basketball of men’s college basketball after a 65-63 win over Houston. Because of this, Golden and his group did not say goodbye to when their big dance draw came out, and Gators are facing a challenging way through the wicked Western region.

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Golden’s team returned with 10 down to beat Texas Tech in an elite eight. They returned from nine deficits to knock out the enemy of SEC Auburn in Final Four. And then, 48 hours later, they returned from 12 down to beat Houston in the national championship game.

The Gator’s race was just as amazing as magical, but their ability to close the game against the best sport is a reflection of their championship through the last four, which in three games (11) in three games presented the lowest combined margin of points (11), as the tournament extended to 64 teams in 1985.

“We didn’t have to pump these guys. (We said)” Let’s go back to be alone and do what we do, “Golden said on a question about a deficit with Florida, with just over 16 minutes in the game. This is kind of built into our DNA. They did what they always do. They stepped up. “

Florida won despite not scoring a goal in the 3:13 final. But the Gators surpassed the program that entered the night with defense number 1 in America. They pressed Houston with a ball pressing, forcing four turns to so many possessions to close the game while shooting the 5th-6-6 line to seal it.

Was it nice? Not. But if you are going to beat Cougars, you have to find a way to beat them in their own game, and this is exactly what Florida did.

“It was our strength all year long, we won close games, but we didn’t have tonight,” said Houston coach Kelvin Sampson. “Admit to coach Golden and Florida. They are a very worthy champion.”

Going into playing titles on Monday night, Houston had 33-0 when he held opponents up to less than 70 points. After this result, there is one in the loss column.

“This victory is just a testimony of who we are as a team,” Richard said. “I feel like we will fight to the end and do everything we need to give ourselves the opportunity to win. It just goes back to how connected we are as a team. We all have no giving up.

“I feel like there is time on the clock, if we own it by possession, I like our resistance and how we fight through trouble throughout the game.”

Since both Clayton and Martin fought on Monday night, shooting in a combined 5-for-20 from the field, others intensified for Gators.

When it was 45-39 with the remaining 12:38, Haugh came up with a block, a bin to cross and end with a foul. Aberdeen i Rueben Chinyel Both demolished the big free throws before Clayton equalized the game. Condon reduced the lead to one with just over five minutes on the hour. Richard turned to defensively to force the ball from Sharp’s leg in the last minute before Clayton closed it to him to avoid trying to win the game.

Golden called Houston on Sunday the most difficult program in America at his press conference.

This is the only thing the young coaching star has been wrong with the whole season. Because how his team would return from 12 down to a defeat that was 30-1 in the last 31 games, so if there is a crown of toughness, which belongs to Gainesville.

“These guys around me,” Clayton said as he pointed out his teammates, “my motto is that we can all go.

“I understand that if it’s not my night, someone will pick me up,” Clayton added. “We understand that we all just pick ourselves up throughout the year. We do it all year. The way we won tonight, it’s just a shout of the year.”

Maybe we should put exclamation marks in October and November when we looked at the lists that have six top nine shooters. Perhaps the development of players and holding the list is still important in this chaotic climate. If nothing else, it is important more than ever when a lot of programs are trying to accumulate talent before you realize how it really suits it, not to do it otherwise.

But the golden bet on a few children from Belmont, Iona, Florida Atlantic, Washington State and Marshall, among others.

“We have great guys who are selfless and enjoy playing together,” Golden said. “Our staff did a well -defined role for everyone to understand their job to help us win.

“This has been all three years in work. We are very analytically in everything we do. We try to bridge that gap as we are analytically, and at the same time we have used a little human element to make some certain decisions. Life is not perfect. You want to give yourself the best opportunity to be successful and live with the results.”

Golden Genius, a victim of his players and heart and connection as a result of finding out what you should do to be successful brought Florida to Mount Sport.

Life can be chaotic in college basketball. But to have a procedure and have everything on the same page can be paid in dividend, and as a result, the life of Gator is about as perfect as it can be, and the party has just begun in Gainesville.

John Fanta is national basketball television and a Fox Sports writer. It covers the sport in various capacities, from the invitation of the games to the FS1 to serving as the leading host on the Big East Digital Network to provide comments on the field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on @John_fant.

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