Gators coach Todd Golden (left) shouts instruction to UF sophomore Kowacie Reeves during a recent offseason workout.
New Staff, New Players, New Energy
Tuesday, June 14, 2022 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
Share:
By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Since suffering a season-ending eye injury at Tennessee on Jan. 26 and undergoing a couple surgical procedures, Jason Jitoboh had been limited to strength and conditioning workouts. Nothing on the court except a spot on the stationary bike. Until last week, that is.
Jitoboh, the 6-foot-11, 300-pound senior center was cleared for non-contact drills. The timing was good because it coincided with the start of Florida's offseason regimen under new Coach Todd Golden and his staff.
Todd Golden (right) putting players through drills.
Jitoboh was the only player on the floor that day, but he was hardly alone. Far from it.
Not only was Golden out there, but so were all three full-time assistants in associate head coaches Carlin Hartman and Korey McCray, plus Kevin Hovde. They were flanked by a handful of managers. Standing off the court were head trainer Dave Werner and strength/conditioning coordinator Victor Lopez. Also looking on were Taurean Green (director of player development), Jonathan Safir (director of basketball strategy and analytics) and reps of team's video crew. A couple of Jitoboh's current teammates, both old and new, sat on the sidelines on, as well. En mass, they all cheered on and encouraged a player who was coming into his own last season and — if healthy — could be a big part in the 2022-23 season.
Hartman, once a consummate blue-collar guy during his playing days at Tulane, was as drenched in perspiration as Jitoboh. That's the idea.
"We're a new staff, so the biggest thing for us right now is to create synergy, create energy, and try to get these guys to buy into what we're trying to do here. Buy into each other," Hartman said. "We want guys to have great attitudes, great work ethics, think team-first and want to be here; want to be Florida Gators. The best way to get there is to be on the same page, so we want to make sure that we're out here as a staff and working our tails off with them. If they see us in a full sweat, see how much we care about each other and how much we care about them, the trust we'll start to build with them will be immense."
The scene was a far cry from the days when Jitoboh, a lone assistant and a manager or two to rebound were the lone bodies in the gym. This was a crowd. A loud crowd, at that.
From left: CJ Felder, Jack May, Niels Lane, Assistant Coach Kevin Hovdeand Denzel Aberdeen during ball-handling drills.
Technically, the Golden era began when the new coach was introduced at an Exactech Arena podium back on March 23. But these days, these workouts (with 11 of the team's 12 players on hand, save incoming freshman Riley Kugel) are about capturing his team.
And Golden will be in the middle of it. All of it. Not just because of his youthful enthusiasm, but also because Golden sees the relationship piece as being a pivotal element to a connected team.
"To me, it's everything. It's part of what makes me the coach I am, in terms of being a little on the younger side," said Golden, who as a player was team captain for his team at Saint Mary's and learned then to be an influencer. "With my coaching philosophy, I look at myself at these guys' captain. I need to be a great leader for them and I need to let them have a great understanding of what we expect from them, and the best way for me to express and articulate that is to be out there — on the court, in the weight room, wherever — with them. You'll rarely see me not involved. I'm not saying my coaches aren't going to coach a lot, but I'm going to be in the mix a lot and talking a lot more. The more these guys understand how much I care about this, about them, and how important this has to be, I believe they'll go harder."
Or as a Lopez, a former Marine put it, "Coach is big on 'One Goal. One Mission.' "
So Golden walks the walk. And lifts the weight, too.
Yes, when Lopez is doing on-court conditioning or has the Florida players in the weight room squatting, curling and pressing, there's Golden taking his turns, getting his reps.
"I've never had a coach lift with the team before, so seeing that is kind of different, kind of cool to see," said fifth-year senior guard Myreon Jones, now with his third head coach (one at Penn State, two at UF) over the last three seasons. "There's just this energy about him. I think he's kind of like a kid, but in a good way. You can tell he's a young dude, the way he relates to us, with joking around, laughing, smiling and even trying to shoot against us. You just enjoy being around him."
Don't mistake the give-and-take for any more than Golden being himself. All the same, the players are finding out that he's mostly about business; about the work.
The UF full-time coaching staff: Associate head coach Carlin Hartman (top); associate head coach Korey McCray (bottom right); assistant Kevin Hovde (bottom left)
For now, that work is mostly about fundamentals and basic concepts that will apply when it comes time to install the new system.
Oh, and it's also about shooting. Lots and lots of shooting. And lots more shooting. The new UF staff knows all too well that the 2021-22 team hit just 30.3 percent from the 3-point line, which marked the lowest in program history (yes, dating to the NCAA's advent of the arc for the 1986-87 season). Of course, the roster has undergone a major makeover — three of the four UF players who attempted at least 100 3s last season (all of whom finished under 35.0 percent, with two under 30 percent) — are gone.
But as spring is set to give way to summer, these offseason times are less about the pure basketball elements and more about tone-setting, attitude and, again, expectations.
"A lot of new players and a lot of new coaches, so basically everything is new," said fifth-year Kyle Lofton, the transfer from St. Bonaventure who started all 116 games of a decorated career in the Atlantic 10 Conference. "This is the time you start gelling on the court, but also off the court."
The off-court assimilating will soon go next level. Golden said during his time at San Francisco, the Dons used the summer for bonding outings, like yoga in Golden Gate Park. Could the Gators could be headed to Bo Diddley Plaza or Depot Park in downtown Gainesville for some zen? Perhaps some bowling. Or maybe a stop at Patric Young's Escape Room franchise. Who know what field trips the new regime has in store.
Ultimately, it will all circle back to the goings-on in the gym.
Todd Goldenhuddles his team up at the end of a practice last week.
"It's definitely feels a lot different, so far. I can't say if it's better or not, not yet, but I see a consistency in the coaches so far which I really like," sophomore wing Kowacie Reeves said. "They're consistent in the energy they demand and the standard they set. We all want that. Everybody is happy to be here, everybody is grateful to be here."
Including the head coach, who believes in his blueprint, his plan and the foundation he's laying for his first Florida team.
"There's no magic formula. It's just working hard, which means we don't compromise our expectations, so we have to hold them responsible and accountable for for every drill," Golden said. "Iron sharpens iron. We have a lot of new players — and we're new, as a staff — so when these guys are competing they know they have to make a good impression. I think all these guys are super prideful and they don't want to be the guy who's not meeting those expectations of working hard."
