Gators head coach Todd Golden and Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl greet each other earlier this season when the Gators visited Auburn. (Photo: Maddie Washburn/UAA Communications)
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — One of the most compelling storylines leading into Saturday night’s Final Four matchup between Florida and Auburn is the connection between Gators head coach Todd Golden and Auburn’s Bruce Pearl.
For those who may have missed the buildup, Pearl gave Golden his first opportunity at Auburn in 2014, hiring him as director of basketball operations before promoting him to assistant coach the following year—a move that helped launch Golden’s coaching career.
Now, more than ten years later, the two will face each other on college basketball’s grandest stage.
"It's a little surreal, to be honest, to be able to be here at the Final Four,'' Golden said Thursday. "But playing on Saturday against one of your biggest and best mentors is not exactly something you expect when the season starts. When the ball goes up on Saturday, it's going to be pretty cutthroat. Until then, there will be a lot of love shown."
Roughly an hour after Golden’s comments, Auburn associate head coach Steven Pearl—Bruce’s son—smiled when asked about Golden inside Auburn’s locker room. While the spotlight is on Bruce Pearl and Golden, the story actually traces back to Steven and Golden, who became friends while competing overseas.
Golden, a former Saint Mary’s guard, and Steven, who played for his father during Bruce’s tenure at Tennessee, were teammates in the Maccabi World Union, described on its official website as the world’s largest Jewish sports and educational organization.
Steven Pearl, left, with his father Bruce Pearl during a recent Auburn game. (Photo: Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Steven Pearl recalled first playing alongside Todd Golden in 2006, and again in 2009 when Golden served as co-captain of the USA Open Team—coached by Bruce Pearl—that captured gold at the Maccabi Games, often referred to as the "Jewish Olympics."
When asked Thursday to give a scouting report on Golden as a player, Steven didn’t hesitate.
"Send him right, and don't let him shoot,'' Pearl said. "Make him activate his dribble going to his right hand, and don't give him any clean looks. Todd was obviously a great shooter back in his day. That's where our friendship kind of developed. He was a great player in his own right and, similar to how he coaches, just works his ass off."
By the time Golden joined Bruce Pearl’s staff at Auburn, Steven was working as an assistant strength coach for the Tigers. Since then, the two have built both careers and a lasting friendship, even standing in each other’s weddings. Their bond remains strong—they FaceTimed on Sunday after Auburn’s win over Michigan State secured the program’s second Final Four appearance.
Steven Pearl said it was clear from the start that Golden was destined for success in coaching.
"From the second that he got onto our campus, just his mindset and the way his brain works, and how analytically focused he is, you could just tell that he's obsessed with basketball. He's obsessed with certain in-game situations. He's obsessed with roster development and building,'' Steve Pearl said. "Those small intricacies, those small details, are what make him so good. It's no mystery or surprise that he was able to do it so quickly.
"At San Francisco, in a league where Gonzaga and Saint Mary's are just the kings, and he was able to make that program relevant in that league, which may be even more impressive than doing it at Florida, honestly, because Florida is a great basketball job."
Golden shares the same admiration. A decade after leaving Auburn to become an assistant at San Francisco, both men are now realizing the dream they once talked about.
"It's incredible,'' Golden said. "It's what life is all about."
This marks Golden’s first Final Four appearance, while it is Steven Pearl’s second. He was part of Auburn’s staff in 2019 when the Tigers fell to eventual national champion Virginia in the semifinals.
Steven explained that once you’ve reached the Final Four, it stays with you until you return. Now that he’s back, Saturday night at the Alamodome will bring a unique twist—facing one of his closest friends across the court.
"A friend, yes, but an enemy on that night.
"The week of is kind of weird because while we'll still be friends, at the end of the day, we still want to win this game,'' Pearl said. "It makes it a little different."
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