Todd Golden (left) and Rueben Chinyelu earned national recognition for their efforts this season.
Golden, Chinyelu Named Naismith Semifinalists
Friday, March 20, 2026 | Men's Basketball
Florida men's basketball head coach Todd Golden and junior center Rueben Chinyelu earned recognition as Naismith semifinalists, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Friday, Golden for Coach of the Year and Chinyelu for Defensive Player of the Year.
Golden and the Gators rallied from a 5-4 start to finish out the regular season with a 21-2 run and the Southeastern Conference regular season championship on the way to a second consecutive No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Chinyelu has established himself as one of the nation's premier defenders in the paint with the versatility to contain smaller guards. His 379 rebounds this season are more than any player but Neal Walk in Florida history, and he is one of three players nationally averaging 11.5 rebounds per game.
The Gators open NCAA Tournament action Friday at 9:25 p.m. on TNT, facing Prairie View A&M in Tampa.
Naismith Coach of the Year Semifinalists
Mark Byington, Vanderbilt
Todd Golden, Florida
Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska
Tom Izzo, Michigan State
Tommy Lloyd, Arizona
Dusty May, Michigan
Ryan Odom, Virginia
T.J. Otzelberger, Iowa State
Jon Scheyer, Duke
Travis Steele, Miami (OH)
Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalists
Flory Bidunga, Kansas
Cameron Boozer, Duke
Jaden Bradley, Arizona
Maliq Brown, Duke
Rueben Chinyelu, Florida
Zuby Ejiofor, St. John's
Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
Aday Mara, Michigan
Joseph Tugler, Houston
Golden and the Gators rallied from a 5-4 start to finish out the regular season with a 21-2 run and the Southeastern Conference regular season championship on the way to a second consecutive No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Chinyelu has established himself as one of the nation's premier defenders in the paint with the versatility to contain smaller guards. His 379 rebounds this season are more than any player but Neal Walk in Florida history, and he is one of three players nationally averaging 11.5 rebounds per game.
The Gators open NCAA Tournament action Friday at 9:25 p.m. on TNT, facing Prairie View A&M in Tampa.
Naismith Coach of the Year Semifinalists
Mark Byington, Vanderbilt
Todd Golden, Florida
Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska
Tom Izzo, Michigan State
Tommy Lloyd, Arizona
Dusty May, Michigan
Ryan Odom, Virginia
T.J. Otzelberger, Iowa State
Jon Scheyer, Duke
Travis Steele, Miami (OH)
Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalists
Flory Bidunga, Kansas
Cameron Boozer, Duke
Jaden Bradley, Arizona
Maliq Brown, Duke
Rueben Chinyelu, Florida
Zuby Ejiofor, St. John's
Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
Aday Mara, Michigan
Joseph Tugler, Houston
Players Mentioned
C
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