Like him or not, Todd Golden is a very good coach

[kywildcat1021979]

You got me.

Congratulations.

After 18 long years of posting here, and around 42,000 posts, you're the first one to figure it out. I'm really a closet Villanova fan, planted here years ago by Jay Wright to tilt BBN's outlooks toward pro-Nova propaganda. Our long-game goal is to make Villanova the most respected Wildcat in America. Before today, we were thinking that we might accomplish our feat within 70 years, but with this setback, it might be 100 years before we reach the goal that Supreme Leader Lappas set years ago.

We are working overtime lately to deflect from the Kyle Neptune debacle. So the Philadelphia Chapter of the Illuminati gave me my marching orders a few months ago from our secret lair below the Finneran Pavilion. After rubbing ourselves down with Rollie Masismino's ashes in our typical opening ceremony in which we wear nothing but some replica 1985 Ed Pinckney shorts and one knee-high sock in honor of Kerry Kittles, we thumped our chests three times each, shouted, "Hail Pinckney!" and then they told me the plan.

"Saul," said the current Grand Supreme Leader (whose Society name is "Kerry Kittles' Skittles"), "you've got to go over there to Cats Illustrated and point out two things that will take that Kentucky site down. Number One, write about the ceiling for their current injury-depleted roster won't win more than 9 to 10 SEC games. Number Two, make sure you factor in injuries and write in such a way that you utilize rationality and logic. Even in that scenario you will surely be able to spread some bad mojo over there. Number Three, make sure you point out how even though you believe Mark Pope is the man for the job, there are also other great coaches in the SEC who might make Pope be scrutinized over the next few years. That will take the place down and send them all into a panic. Just be careful. If and when @un4getables shows up, he might notice that in the four or five posts that's he's read of yours all-time, there's an outside chance he will only spot the 5 to 10% of your 42,000 posts that have ever been halfway critical. If he does notice, you'll be outed, so stay as incognito as you can. Good luck, and go Nova, Saul."


So I concede you the high ground, friend. You got me. My gig is up.

Man what is wrong with some of the people around here they must be new @Son_Of_Saul . That's all I got!

 

[Kybluedude]

It's his first year dude. My goodness. Golden is in his 3rd year. Oats is in year 6 or 7. Pearl the same. Barnes the same.

You just look always negative. Took Hall 3 years to get going. Pitino took over a complete mess. His first was amazing considering the roster he had. He went 14-14. Started the ascent the next year. Tubby is the only one who did great his first year according to your outlook.

I think he's done pretty well considering this roster was put together quick. He walked into a Grizzly den in the SEC his first year. No other UK coach has ever faced the SEC that Pope is facing.

I think Golden was 16-17 in his first year and had some returning players. 24-12 his 2nd

 

[Kybluedude]

His 7' 9" project may be a difference maker. Only time will tell but Golden is not a flash in the pan. We will be dealing with him for years. It would be next to impossible to get an existing SEC coach that is successful to come to the pressure cooker of UK. Bruce and Oats did not show any interest. I'm sure if either had any interest in us, their agent would or could have made contact. Ask yourself if you are making $5 or $6 million per year, woud you leave Bama or Auburn to come the the pressure that comes with being the coach here. Don't answer that with your heart because you can't get your head around not being a Wildcat. Answer it a a business decision. Why do you think we ended up with Pope? I hope you don't think he was anywhere near the top of KY's list. Pope or his agent I'd bet my arm on was the contact side, not Barnhart. Not negative of Pope, but he was not on the radar the first week of a coaching search. Beard might be in a different situation because he needs to rebuild his image. What better way to do that, than to be the head coach in Lexington.

I’d bet Mark was near the top of MB’s list.

Who other than Scott Drew do you think MB wanted to take?

He didn’t want Pearl, Oats or Hurley.

 

[UKAlum84]

Houston deserved that nc.........but really houston made some mistakes towards the end and did not put the effort to keep scoring...I was shocked at the lack of scoring, kinda made it easier for Florida to get back in the game.

 

[Hopmix]

He wasnt even their most important player. I said that before but it proved out in the title game. Condon and haugh made everything go for them. Hopefully they go pro.

Dude are you smoking crack? They wouldn’t have gotten past the second round without him? Let’s just ignore the fact that they were playing the best defense in the tournament and let’s forget that he was seeing double teams all night. He still lead the team in scoring by a 5 point margin. Led the team in three pointers made and led the team in assist.
How is he not their best player?

 

[HagginHall1999]

Yep if it ever goes south with Pope for whatever reason, that should be the name. I think there are better coaches but his age is a huge advantage

Dropped his name last year as someone to consider. Have a feeling he will step up soon and/or go to NBA.

 

[Randy Bob]

He is a very good young coach.

 

[bigblueinsanity_rivals250340]

Dude are you smoking crack? They wouldn’t have gotten past the second round without him? Let’s just ignore the fact that they were playing the best defense in the tournament and let’s forget that he was seeing double teams all night. He still lead the team in scoring by a 5 point margin. Led the team in three pointers made and led the team in assist.
How is he not their best player?

Best player and most important player are not always the same thing. Hes their best player but condon and haugh were more important.

 

[deputy assistant]

Best player and most important player are not always the same thing. Hes their best player but condon and haugh were more important.

Walter Clayton Jr. was both our best and most important player all season long. Undoubtedly, and without question. Condon and Haugh were excellent supporting players, who were also very important, but Clayton was the most important.

 

[Gators1853]

Walter Clayton Jr. was both our best and most important player all season long. Undoubtedly, and without question. Condon and Haugh were excellent supporting players, who were also very important, but Clayton was the most important.

Every Gator fan will agree with you. Clayton, Jr was the leader of the team and not because he was the best player (he was) but because he was most important. His leadership will be missed and it will be very hard to replace him.

 

[Gater4Life]

We’ll see what happens when Walter Clayton goes pro.

I think the true test will be what happens after next season. Florida went a legit 8 deep with very little drop off when the bench guys came in. Returning 5 of 8 with the inevitable portal additions in the backcourt should put us in the 5-10 range in the preseason.

With that being said, losing 1 or 2 of Condon, Haugh, or Chin to either the portal or NBA would hurt.

 

[Skyguyb27]

He rebuilds Florida in just 3 years into a 1 seed team, very impressive

Florida has talent, plays unselfish basketball, very good in both offense and defense.

He is also very good at investigating overlooked talent. T. Haugh and A. Condon were only three-star recruits in high school. However, they are actually very talented and are now key contributors for Florida, even though they are only sophomores. It is very hard to investigate overlooked talented players, and he investigated two in one class!

He is only 39, good years are ahead of him, could be next HOF coach...

He is also really photogenic so I hear.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

Houston deserved that nc.........but really houston made some mistakes towards the end and did not put the effort to keep scoring...I was shocked at the lack of scoring, kinda made it easier for Florida to get back in the game.

Florida deserved it just as much. They didn't even play well but managed to gut it out and win n the end.

 

[anon1751545683]

What makes him a good coach?

He seems OK. Nothing special.

What are y’all seeing that points to a HoF career?

 

[chasingwildcat]

What makes him a good coach?

He seems OK. Nothing special.

What are y’all seeing that points to a HoF career?

It is dumb to say he is just ok coach

He is great coach, but a bad person

First championship with no top 100 hs recruit is not just coincidence.

If he wins another championship, he 100% will be HOFer. He still has 20-30 years coaching career, could win another one

 

[chasingwildcat]

Dropped his name last year as someone to consider. Have a feeling he will step up soon and/or go to NBA.

Coaching in college is way more comfortable than dealing with "stars" in NBA

 

[anon1751545683]

It is dumb to say he is just ok coach

He is great coach, but a bad person

First championship with no top 100 hs recruit is not just coincidence.

If he wins another championship, he 100% will be HOFer. He still has 20-30 years coaching career, could win another one

So it’s “dumb” to differ?

Personal attacks never bolster an argument.

It could be coincidence. He got lucky with a couple guys being better than most thought.

Clayton was rated around 70 in the portal.

His teams got behind in almost every game when he was coaching.

When he loosened the reins the players bailed him out.

I saw the same thing in ‘98.

That guy let his team get behind every game in the tourney too. Then the players bailed him out.

He got his title. Pretty close to the same age as Golden is now.

Never went to another FF or the HoF.

My “dumb” question was what do you see different from this guy?

 

[chasingwildcat]

So it’s “dumb” to differ?

Personal attacks never bolster an argument.

It could be coincidence. He got lucky with a couple guys being better than most thought.

Clayton was rated around 70 in the portal.

His teams got behind in almost every game when he was coaching.

When he loosened the reins the players bailed him out.

I saw the same thing in ‘98.

That guy let his team get behind every game in the tourney too. Then the players bailed him out.

He got his title. Pretty close to the same age as Golden is now.

Never went to another FF or the HoF.

My “dumb” question was what do you see different from this guy?

Again, roster construction and talent evaluation is hard.

When it comes to roster construction and talent evaluation, he's absolutely an expert. He’s able to identify a bunch of overlooked players, none of them were ranked in the top 100 in high school. Clayton’s ranking came from the transfer portal, and even then he was only ranked in the 60s, which is far from high. That kind of scouting is clearly a coaching skill. And it’s not just Clayton, Richard, Martin, Haugh, and Condon weren’t highly ranked either. One or two might be a coincidence, but finding this many under-the-radar guys shows that the coach has a sharp eye for talent. He never has even one highly ranked recuits from either portal or HS and he works his magic, it is not can just be explained by "coincidence"

Comparing this to 1998 team is completely foolish. The 98 team inherited a lot of pieces from the previous roster. Todd Golden, on the other hand, completely rebuilt the team with all players he personally recruited.

 

[PhattyJ4UK_rivals309166]

Got blasted when I wanted him over oats, Hurley, Billy d , Ricky p etc etc

But that’s par for the course. Great coach and doesn’t make me want to punch his face like so many other rival coaches …. Yet.

 

[HagginHall1999]

Coaching in college is way more comfortable than dealing with "stars" in NBA

Maybe so but NIL and portal has to be a massive headache.

 

[CHAMPCAT11]

Dont get too worked up buddy, my friend is very active in the gator booster events and this is what he was told. I never said it was a meeting with an AD. Good lord.

Yeah … hedgehog went from a civil poster to a smartass really quick. I figured that would happen. For all I personally know, Golden had the support of the University so I ‘assume’ he didn’t do anything wrong. However; I’ve seen these scenarios a million times and he looks and acts and talks like a shady creepy guy you wouldn’t want around your daughter. But, as I said, he got off (no pun intended) as clean as a whistle so I have to assume he didn’t cross any lines.

 

[CRZ4UK]

One player won them a Championship. Clayton saved them twice in the tournament on his own. Winning that thing is 70% being good and 30% luck. Any one of those final four teams could have won. Clayton outplayed the other Stars.
Will Golden ever find another Clayton?? Who knows.
AD
Kemba
Carmelo
The list goes on of one player who made the difference.
This year it was Clayton.

 

[HagginHall1999]

One player won them a Championship. Clayton saved them twice in the tournament on his own. Winning that thing is 70% being good and 30% luck. Any one of those final four teams could have won. Clayton outplayed the other Stars.
Will Golden ever find another Clayton?? Who knows.
AD
Kemba
Carmelo
The list goes on of one player who made the difference.
This year it was Clayton.

Agree so much is luck, breaks, etc...not so sure I agree it is one player. Florida had a lot of guys make giant plays in tourney besides Clayton. They were the best team in CBB for the final month.

 

[revcort]

Eventually losing a guy like Walter Clayton is going to sting a bit. And I think they're losing him and their other 2 leading scorers (if the covid stuff is done, I'm never quite sure).

This is where you find out how good a coach is. A lot of them can throw together a team for a year or two, but eventually, they have to graduate. Golden seems legit, but next years team is going to be very different.

Yeah, this is what I've been thinking. Walter Clayton is the key to their success, in my opinion. I picked Florida to win the NCAA-T because of him. After watching him make shots late in the game and shot clock, and being so clutch in those moments, is a rare thing. I'm not saying that team will not be good without him, but I do think they will lose a bunch more games next season than they did unless they can find another Clayton who can create his shot and always make them in the clutch. I don't know if anyone knew at the beginning of the season what kind of player Clayton would be this season. A guy like that is the difference between good and great.

 

[Gators1853]

Yeah, this is what I've been thinking. Walter Clayton is the key to their success, in my opinion. I picked Florida to win the NCAA-T because of him. After watching him make shots late in the game and shot clock, and being so clutch in those moments, is a rare thing. I'm not saying that team will not be good without him, but I do think they will lose a bunch more games next season than they did unless they can find another Clayton who can create his shot and always make them in the clutch. I don't know if anyone knew at the beginning of the season what kind of player Clayton would be this season. A guy like that is the difference between good and great.

Walter Clayton, Jr will be missed. No doubt.

Coach Golden approaches building a team much like Coach Pope. They both use Analytical Skills. This is the exact opposite of a coach like Calipari who depends on individual talent only. Coach Golden and Pope will recruit from the portal pieces that will form a team. They must blend with others and feed off each other to reach their potential. This method also allows a coach to build a deep bench.

Both Coach Pope and Coach Golden will be a force and a threat to raise more and more banners in the future. UK will not be stuck at 8 NCAA titles for very long. And odds are UF will add to their three.

Analytical Skills

 

[26MichaelUK]

Walter Clayton, Jr will be missed. No doubt.

Coach Golden approaches building a team much like Coach Pope. They both use Analytical Skills. This is the exact opposite of a coach like Calipari who depends on individual talent only. Coach Golden and Pope will recruit from the portal pieces that will form a team. They must blend with others and feed off each other to reach their potential. This method also allows a coach to build a deep bench.

Both Coach Pope and Coach Golden will be a force and a threat to raise more and more banners in the future. UK will not be stuck at 8 NCAA titles for very long. And odds are UF will add to their three.

Analytical Skills

Yeah I think that Florida squad was built to play any style. Clayton was the proverbial straw that stirred the drink but if other guys hadn't stepped up in the first half, particularly Pritchard sp? you prob lose. It was a perfect roster IMO and it's why I picked you guys to win it all on March 5th in this very thread. Congrats. My brother went to UF so I'm secondarily a Florida fan. You guys were just fun to watch and our 106-100 win against you guys was the game of the year for me.

 

[Sportspm]

 

[Broker]

I’d bet Mark was near the top of MB’s list.

Who other than Scott Drew do you think MB wanted to take?

He didn’t want Pearl, Oats or Hurley.

Do you actually know who MB wanted or are you guessing. I doubt you or anyone on this board knows if he had contact with Pearl, Oats, or Hurley. Probably not directly with any of those three but who knows if he had feelers talking to their feelers. We will never know but you can bet your sweet *** if either of those three wanted the job here, they would have been hired.

 

[revcort]

Walter Clayton, Jr will be missed. No doubt.

Coach Golden approaches building a team much like Coach Pope. They both use Analytical Skills. This is the exact opposite of a coach like Calipari who depends on individual talent only. Coach Golden and Pope will recruit from the portal pieces that will form a team. They must blend with others and feed off each other to reach their potential. This method also allows a coach to build a deep bench.

Both Coach Pope and Coach Golden will be a force and a threat to raise more and more banners in the future. UK will not be stuck at 8 NCAA titles for very long. And odds are UF will add to their three.

Analytical Skills

I'm not denying anything to Coach Golden. I agree with you that he will have teams that compete for titles as we move forward. And I fully expect you to defend him and argue with me, so that's just fine with me. But what I'm saying is Clayton is a generational talent, a guy who can create and make shots (as many as needed) at the end of shot clocks and games. He did it multiple times for the Gators this year. I do not doubt the Gators will be good from here, on, with Golden at the helm. I do not doubt he teaches offense as a team and wants his guys to play together to win. But Clayton is the reason Florida won the title. Watching him at the end of the season and in the SEC-T is the reason i picked Florida to win it all. So, let me ask you this question: do you think Golden is the reason Clayton was a generational talent this season? Or do you think Golden will create for Florida another generational talent every season? I know you love him, but some of that is just natural. In fact, MOST of it is just natural. Guys either have it, or at least have the potential, or they don't.

I think Pope's approach is awesome and I fully expect UK to be competing for titles very soon. But you gotta catch a break or two, or recruit generational talents, to win multiple titles. My expectation: Florida will take a step back next season. If Clayton returned, I'd be on your bandwagon (not cheering for Florida, but predicting another title). Without him, you're hoping for another generational talent to emerge.

 

[Lempface]

I don't dispute anything OP said except Condon is garbage and they win despite him, @ me.