On Thursday night, the No. 1 seed Florida Gators defeated the No. 4 seed Maryland Terrapins to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2017. One of the special guests in the audience was Saint Mary’s head coach, Randy Bennett.
Todd Golden, the coach of Florida, played for Randy Bennett at Saint Mary’s from 2004 to 2008. Let’s take a deeper look at this full-circle moment for the long-time coach and his former player.
Randy Bennett and Todd Golden’s Full-Circle Moment
For over 20 years, Randy Bennett has coached the Saint Mary’s Gaels, building a great career part for himself with 12 NCAA Tournament trips.
Between 2004-2008, Al Golden played as a point guard for Bennett and was a hardworking player, averaging 6.4 points as a senior.
Now a coach, the former student is in his third year leading the Florida Gators. It’s a mentor’s dream to see a former player succeed as a coach, and Bennett is surely happy to see his influence on his former student in real-time.
Golden didn’t immediately jump into his coaching career after leaving Saint Mary’s in 2008, but since being hired by Florida in 2022, he has steadily built his program.
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During his college years, Golden was a scrappy guard under Randy Bennett, but he was never the team’s biggest star. But after years of work, much like his collegiate career, he has built his product into a national powerhouse.
The Gators’ victory over Maryland was a great moment for Bennett, but Golden isn’t done yet. After a late-season push resulted in the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Gators are a force to be reckoned with.
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