Todd Golden faced a lot of uncertainty after the Florida Gators' second-round exit out of the NCAA tournament. The coach's name was constantly brought up in rumors for other jobs, most notably the North Carolina job and, to a lesser extent, the Golden State Warriors job that was never actually open.Â
But after taking a few days to recharge, Golden was back at it and working to build a roster that will likely see the Gators as the preseason No. 1 team heading into November. A big reason for that was the return of All-American forward Thomas Haugh.
Thomas Haugh wanted to come back to Florida
Haugh was projected to be a first-round pick in the NBA Draft, going somewhere between the 15th and 25th picks, but the 6-foot-9 stretch announced his return to Gainesville on April 21 and for Golden, it was proof that even in the dark moments after a crushing loss, there can be a silver lining.Â
"Probably the only redeeming quality from losing that game was the fact that it allowed Tommy to rethink his decision about whether he wanted to go play in the NBA right now or if we wanted to have another year back in Florida," Golden said during his appearance on the Field of 68 After Dark show.Â
Golden said that it was Haugh and his family that approached Florida about a potential return and the two sides began working on a massive NIL package that would keep the first-team All-SEC performer around for another season.
"Tommy loves Florida, he's, you know, what our program is about, him and Alex Condon, guys like him, [Rueben Chinyelu], you know, all these guys that have been in our program for an extended period of time," Golden added. "You know, once we kind of worked through that process, We felt like we had a good opportunity. It was incredibly exciting, obviously. And it positions us very well for next season."
Todd Golden outlines the goals for Florida next season
With Haugh back in the fold, Golden didn't waste time in trying to build another championship-quality roster. The return of guard Denzel Aberdeen, who left Florida for Kentucky last season, will bring additional experience in the backcourt and Golden tapped into the European prospect pool to add more size and versatility with Lithuanian big man Arturas Butajevas and 22-year-old Domen Petrovic, a forward from Slovenia that has extensive national team experience.Â
Golden also wants to use this opportunity to help Haugh and Condon expand their game. He moved Haugh to the wing more during the second half of the season and believes that an offseason to get comfortable playing that position will add an element to his game that could make him a surefire lottery pick in 2027.Â
"I think the great thing for both these guys is they both have areas of their game that they need to improve. But they're all they're great players already. And both of them, I think, have a really good opportunity to improve their stock going into next year. Tommy, you know, sliding down to the wing. That was the first time for him really playing that position. I think he's going to take another big jump this season. And, you know, both those guys are primed and in great shape right now."
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