Todd Golden named head coach

Todd Golden was making $400K a year at USF
His 6 year contract with the University of Florida pays him $3M a year

Tough choice for USF’s Todd Golden: Stay and build, or leave and get paid?

 

I don't think the choice was that tough.

 

Yeah
The writer was whistling past the graveyard

 

Die, I think you’re missing what I’m saying. I’m thinking of more of how the Basketball Program is packaged & promoted, an more streamlined ticket exchange program are just two examples. I wish a new arena was within reach, but that too big an item. Check out what type things UNC, Duke, Villanova are doing to enhance both the player & fan experience. I’d just like to see the profile of the program take a bolder step forward. Something that attracts a recruit to UF. Think of things like what Oregon has done to attract football recruits. Nothing that gaudy, but just tap into a few trends.

There’s no denying if the team wins, fans will come to games. Just enhance the package

 

Sigh. No band, no cheerleaders, no mascots, no cheering fans. Nice message though

 

San Francisco is a great city, but $400K isn't a huge salary there. $3 million in Gainesville is.

 

Show your support & tune into this tomorrow!

 

It sounds crazy to say but that is a middle class existence there.

My brother in law chose to lose his job with Verizon over moving to Palo Alto. The change in lifestyle/salary just wasn't worth it.

 

Factor in the COL difference and the Cali vs FL state income tax situations and this was truly a golden opportunity.

 

Did San Fran have Covid opt outs last season or did key players get injured?
Just trying to figure out what happened To San Fran for the 2020-2021 season?

their overall record for the 3 years prior Under Kyle Smith was nearly identical to the 3 years under golden. But obviously no at large bid to the tourney.

 

Going through their roster. SF had 2 first team all WCC players, but both were grad transfers so no eligibility left. Top players who can have an additional year.

Pg/sg - Khalil Shabazz (6'1, 170) - averaged 13.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.7 spg, only 1.6 TO's per game, 84.5 ft% and 34.5 3p%. Was 2nd team All WCC. Is from Seattle and is a Sr, but would have 1 more year due to the Covid year. Would easily be starting pg next year and a really good one. Does he want to play another year and come to Florida from the West Coast. What a transfer he would be if Coach could convince him.

There is 1 other player that I'd be interested in bringing over based on stats. I'm sure Coach knows better if there are others.

Julian Rishwain (6'5, 190) - averaged 7.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg but 43% 3p% (55-128) while playing 19.2 mpg. Never can have enough shooting and the kid can shoot. Played his Freshman year at Boston College. Did play 14.9 mpg that year so he has played in the power 5.

 

No state income tax in FL

 

I lived across the bay in the (at that time) relatively small community of Alameda… actually it was an island next to Oakland.
The Naval Air Station was there then and my ship had changed ports from Yokosuka Japan. I loved Alameda, it had a almost Midwest small time charm to it… the weather was almost perfect, the people friendly, but it was expensive even then 1970-72.
The only housing I could afford was about 350 sq. ft. with a bed so bad it I got a better nights sleep on my bunk on my ship, fortunately I was young. I believe they had rent control even then, but nicer apartments were still out of the question.
Today a ordinary 3/2 1500 sq. ft. house is a million dollars or so, and Alameda is much cheaper than San Francisco.
400K with the various taxes and much higher cost of living may be considered middle class there but it’s on the lower end of it.
San Francisco was a wonderful place then… now I’m not sure it has the same appeal. Despite the writers couching it as a tough decision, it probably took about 10 seconds for Golden to decide to go with the 3 million dollar offer.

 

My "theory" is that plenty of players who become HCs reflect the quality of their HCs when they played. Nothing wrong with achievement but a meh HC gives you a questionable outlook on what is quality.

As an example, Mus-take's HC was Ray Goof.

 

And we already know that Golden (and his golden boy, Safir) were infinitely better than Mike White was at recruiting the portal. He had success with one transfer from Duke and two from Columbia that proved to fit roles in his system well (unlike, say, McKissic, Jones, and possibly Felder).

Look…

I listened to a full pod of Florida Basketball Hour featuring GC’s @Efawcett7 and it makes you feel really good about Golden:

‎Florida Basketball Hour: Golden Hour: Gators hire Todd Golden as next Head Basketball Coach; Xavier preview on Apple Podcasts

1) While they do discuss some of the cons of the Golden hire (and Neil makes no secret of his preference for Tony Bennett at 10yrs/$55MM), you will feel VERY excited about the Golden hire after listening to S4 E30 of Florida Basketball Hour. Frankly, I feel like we’re dolts for even arguing for/against the hire without this being mandatory listening beforehand.

2) I have to apologize to Eric and Neil Blackmon for not listening sooner. Mike White’s dated coaching has had me in a depression since 2018, so I avoided all Gator BB pods, so as not to be triggered. Frankly, I don’t know how those two didn’t need to be talked off a ledge after 4 years of covering White.

3) I do listen to my fair share of NBA pods, however, particularly the ones by various The Athletic and ESPN personalities.

I must say that Eric & Neil blow all of them out of the water.

I was captivated by their discussion of modern basketball, winning on the margins, how Golden mirrors Donovan in bringing such a different way of approaching the game, how Golden’s pre-game white board differs from Pearl’s, and how “2009” Mike White’s approach remains (called by coaches, “the easiest scout in the SEC”).

4) Golden’s response to a reporter after beating a very good BYU team using the “fouling up by two” tactic is the greatest response in the history of sports for those of us who are professed sports analytics nerds.

 

And that $3M/year Gainesville $ is about $8M in SF dollars. Average cost of a house in Hogtown last year was $229,000 and was $1,471,000 in SF. Overall cost of living in SF was 171% of Gainesville. Easy choice.

The analytics of fouling when up by 2 is new to most of us, but before all of this came about, my wife was yelling at the TV to "foul him" when they were up by 2 in the waning moments of said game. I said "nobody does that, Why???" She said "to get the ball back, you're playing to win, not tie." I just shook my head and thought "baby, you just don't understand". Maybe she needs to get a job as a hoops analytical.

 

BD was not a burn.

It helped that JWill came with him.

 

I was born in SF and just before I turned 6 in 1953 we moved a few miles south of you in San Lorenzo. It was a brand-new 3-bedroom tract house for which they paid $11,900. Over the years they added a bathroom and a breakfast room. In 2005 my mom sold it for $400,000. No idea what it would sell for now, but yeah, a $400,000 salary doesn't go very far in much of the Bay Area

 

I’m a little shocked we are paying him so much given where he was