Only Jewish coach left: Todd Golden leads Florida into NCAA title clash vs Houston
The Houston vs. Florida final tips off Monday at 8:50 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
Three Jewish coaches entered the NCAA men’s basketball Final Four on Saturday. Now, just one remains.
Florida, coached by Todd Golden, beat Auburn, coached by Bruce Pearl, 79-73 in a close game Saturday evening. It isn’t the first time the two Jewish coaches have shared the court: A decade ago, Golden was at Auburn as an assistant to Pearl, who coached him as a player at the Maccabiah Games in 2009. Golden also played professionally in Israel.
Later that night, Duke, led by Jewish coach Jon Scheyer, lost to Houston in a shocking collapse. Scheyer’s team was up by six with 40 seconds on the clock but crumbled as Houston roared back to win the game, capping a 15-3 run to win 70-67.
In the women’s tournament, USC, coached by Lindsay Gottlieb, who is Jewish, lost in the Elite Eight.
Born in Tel Aviv
Duke’s loss ended hopes of a men’s final Monday night with two Jewish coaches against each other. But Golden will face an opponent whose career began in Israel. Emanuel Sharp, a guard, was born in Tel Aviv, where his father Derrick Sharp coached Maccabi Tel Aviv for more than a decade, and played for Israel’s under-16 national basketball team.
As Golden gets a shot at March Madness glory, he’s also seen controversy: Earlier this year, multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct, prompting a Title IX investigation. The charges were dismissed as Golden had not committed misconduct “within a university program or activity,” the investigators said.
The Houston vs. Florida final tips off Monday at 8:50 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.