< em>P hoto: Taurean Green; Credit: University of Florida Athletic Association
Todd Golden continues to take steps toward constructing a staff that understand his mission to elevate the Gators back into the national conversation as perennial championship contenders.
In some cases, revisiting the past can aid progress for the future.
On Friday, Golden announced his intention to bring in former Gators point guard Taurean Green as the director of player development on Jeff Goodman’s Field of 68 podcast.
Green, who currently serves on former Gators head coach Billy Donovan’s Chicago Bulls staff as a player-development coordinator, is slated to join the Gators at the end of the NBA season.
Playing at the University of Florida from 2004 to 2007, Green posted 10.6 points, 3.6 assists and 2.2 rebounds in 111 total games in blue and orange threads.
Winning two rings in the process alongside the likes of Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Lee Humphrey and others during his time at UF, Green excelled as a sharpshooting ball handler that resembled modern day point guards with his skillset despite playing in a different era.
Knocking down over 40% of all field goal attempts and 38% of shots from beyond the arc during his Gators career, Green understands the type of player Golden is looking for to man spots on the roster, as he himself fits that mold of play style.
Green is freshly into coaching after he retired from a 14-year professional career — one year in the NBA — last October.
However, serving as an instrumental piece to the Gators back-to-back championship run in 2006 and 2007, Green understands the tradition of winning at Florida and where to put the bar for that success.
He will prove to be an asset for Golden as he navigates the SEC and attempts to restore Florida to prominence.
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