South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Coach says recruiting footprint will reach far
GAINESVILLE — When Todd Golden talks recruiting he might occasionally need an interpreter.
The footprint of Florida’s new basketball coach will begin in the Sunshine State but involve its share of globe-trotting, potentially extending from Clermont to Croatia and Canberra, Australia.
Golden’s international approach to talent acquisition positions him uniquely in Gainesville following three seasons at San Francisco.
“We were able to build relationships all through Europe, Australia, and there’s a lot of talented kids over there,” Golden said. “Not a lot of them have come to the SEC yet.”
Golden’s 2021-22 roster was a veritable United Nations.
The school’s first NCAA Tournament since
1998 represented eight countries, including the United States.
Australia, England, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Ukraine produced a player on San Francisco’s squad while two Dons made their way from Belarus, including versatile, skilled forward Yauhen Massalski. The
6-foot-9, 240-pound Massalski led the team in rebounding and blocks while finishing third in scoring.
Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin does not envision Florida’s 2022-23 roster to be quite as diverse or far-reaching. Yet an international flavor is appetizing for a program aiming to return to the SEC’s elite after losing ground in recent seasons.
“To be able to complement the domestic recruiting and in-state recruiting with international kids, there’s something intriguing about it,” Stricklin said.
After losing during the conference tournament quarterfinals as the No. 9 seed, the Gators (19-14) did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016. On Selection Sunday, coach Mike White left for Georgia after seven seasons and four trips to the Big Dance yet there was growing unrest about the Gators’ direction.
Stricklin hired Golden to address the program’s lack of consistency, identity and entertainment value, along with the fan base’s waning excitement and energy level.
Golden, 36, will not necessarily be a pom-pom waver, but has a presence and outward confidence Stricklin expects will invigorate people.
“You can’t take our fans for granted,” Stricklin said. “All successful programs have a coach that has that club in their bag if you will. Fans want to be around them and want to support the program.”
Fans most of all want to support a winner. Winning requires talented players.
Golden’s focus first will be in-state, home to nine of the top 30 prospects in the 2022 class, according to 247Sports composite rankings.
“We’re going to try to build a fence around the state of Florida and make sure that we’re involved with every great student-athlete within this footprint,” Golden said.
Power forward Malik Reneau, at No. 28, is among them. He hails from national powerhouse Montverde Academy in Clermont, a potential feeder system for a school just 90 minutes north. Reneau had committed to UF, but decided to explore his options following White’s departure and still could end up in Gainesville.
Golden learned the lay of the land in Florida during three seasons at Auburn (2014-16). At San Francisco, he was familiar with the opportunity to lure international players to the West Coast Conference, home notably to Gonzaga and Golden’s alma mater, St. Mary’s College. Prior to Golden’s senior season in
2007-08, point guard Patty Mills migrated from Canberra to northern California to become a star for the Gaels before going onto a long NBA career.
The arrival of the transfer portal in the fall of 2018 provided yet another resource for college basketball coaches to mine.
Golden put the portal to good use at San Francisco. Massalski came from the University of San Diego; 6-3 guard Gabe Stefanini, a native of Italy, transferred from Columbia University; and 6-10 forward Patrick Tapé transferred from Duke.
“We’ll do everything we need to do,” Golden said.
And go everywhere the Gators need to go.