Todd Golden has found himself going through a whirlwind of emotions within the past few weeks. The 39-year-old head coach helped his Florida Gators win the 2025 NCAA Tournament title.
Immediately following the NCAA Tournament was the realization of losing players, and putting forth the work to add players via the transfer portal.
On Monday, the Gators' head coach received a message from one of the players who will depart the program.
Kajus Kublickas, who came to Gainesville from Lithuania, played in just 6 games last season. He spent 2 seasons at Florida and averaged just 4.1 minutes per game.
Kublickas took to his official instagram account and said the following:
"Dear Gator Nation, It has been an incredible couple of years to play for you all," Kublickas said. "Your support throughout the season has been unreal. I want to thank my teammates, who have been like family to me, helping me grow and develop as a player and a person. Together we made history, and I will be proud of that for the rest of my life. I also want to thank Coach Golden, the rest of the coaching staff, and our managers for giving me an opportunity to represent the Orange and Blue. I'm proud to be part of the Gator Boys, and I can't wait for what the future holds for me in my next chapter. Thank you, 30 out."
Before becoming the head coach at Florida, Golden played his college basketball at Saint Mary’s. He then competed in the Israeli Basketball Premier League before returning to the United States to begin his coaching career as an assistant.
After stints at Columbia, Auburn, and San Francisco, he earned his first head coaching job in 2019 with the Dons. In 2022, he left San Francisco to take the head coaching position in Gainesville.
Todd Golden and the Florida Gators will now be moving on without one of the team's depth pieces. This past season, Kublickas appeared in six games for the national champions.
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