rich 1.0 Todd Golden sat down with Dan and didn't hold back. The Florida basketball coach breaks down how the early NCAA exit turned into a roster-building win, what it took to bring Tommy, Ruben, and Condo back, and why he believes the Gators are walking into 2026-27 with the deepest roster in college basketball. In This Interview: 🏀 The Iowa loss that helped them — Golden explains how the early exit gave Tommy Haugh, Ruben Chinua, and Alex Condon a reason to come back for their senior seasons 🏀 The Denzel Aberdeen situation — already re-enrolled and working on his undergrad degree; Florida believes he has a strong NCAA case for an extra year of eligibility after playing only ~40 minutes his freshman year before transferring to Kentucky 🏀 Navigating the NBA process — how Golden maintains open communication with players through the draft evaluation window and uses Florida's culture, education, and NIL/Rev Share as the closer 🏀 Preseason No. 1 pressure — "We welcome it at this point" — Golden on coaching with a target on their back and why this group is ready 🏀 Keeping the depth bought in — CJ Ingram and Alex Lloyd both had conversations before Tommy announced his return; Golden credits his staff's honesty and the players' maturity 🏀 Two European recruits — Arturas Butajevas, a decorated Lithuanian big with Tommy/Condo upside, and Domen Petrovic, a 22-year-old 6'8" Slovenian shooter coming off his best pro season — "Slovenian brothers" with Herby 🏀 NCAA Tournament expanding to 76 — "If I was still at San Francisco, I'd be doing cartwheels" — but Golden says Florida will play at a level where it won't affect them much 🏀 Playing around Florida — Tampa's Benchmark International, Jacksonville, South Florida; "we have the strongest brand in the state right now" 🏀 Jon Sumrall — Golden talked to him Thanksgiving morning as the hire was coming together; raves about his mentality, his openness with fans, and his understanding of what it takes to succeed at Florida 🏀 What he's listening to — going country lately: Morgan Wallen, Ella Langley — "my kids are 10 and 8, I can't listen to what I used to" Subscribe to Stadium and Gale for the best Florida Gators coverage — football, basketball, recruiting, and more. 🐊 #FloridaGators #GatorNation #StadiumAndGale #ToddGolden #FloridaBasketball #GatorsBasketball #TommyHaugh #RubenChinua #AlexCondon #BoogieFland #CollegeBasketball #JonSumrall #UFBasketball Stadium and Gale: A Florida Gators Podcast https://audioboom.com/channels/4996460-stadium-and-gale-a-florida-gators-podcast Audioboom https://audioboom.com 480 95 https://audioboom.com/i/43674194/600x600/c 600 600 <iframe width="100%" height="95" src="https://embeds.audioboom.com/posts/8910730/embed?v=202301" style="background-color: transparent; display: block; padding: 0; width: 100%" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="allowtransparency" scrolling="no" title="Audioboom player" allow="autoplay" sandbox="allow-downloads allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>