The public was introduced to the new leader of Dons men's basketball Monday, as the University of San Francisco formally presented Todd Golden as the 20^th head men's basketball coach at a press conference held inside War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. The conference was attended by the media and members of the campus community, along with several alums.

"It is important to make the right hire, not the safe hire," said McDermott.  "We could have done a national search but we would have come back to Todd Golden.  Kyle Smith and his staff developed a program where we excelled on the court, in the classroom and in the community. ... With Todd at the helm, the Dons for the first time in a long time are not make making major changes.  We are capitalizing on the momentum that was created with one of the main architects who got us here.  Todd knows what it takes to win in the league."

Golden was joined on the dais by University President Fr. Paul Fitzgerald, S.J., Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Don Heller, and Director of Athletics Joan McDermott. Others in attendance were all 10 returning players for USF, all of which are returning for 2019-20, USF Hall of Famers Jim Brovelli and Mike Quick, and Hal Urban, who played the first ever game at War Memorial.
 
"It is truly an honor to be named the 20^th Head Men's Basketball Coach at the University of San Francisco," said Golden. "This opportunity is one that I've been preparing for my whole life. … The integrity of our program will not change. This program will continue to focus on defending, rebounding, and taking care of the basketball. We will continue to play an unselfish brand where the individuals on this team will sacrifice personal stats and accomplishments for the greater good. We will be a team that plays defense with pride, not allowing our opponents to operate comfortably. We will continue striving to be one of the best first-shot defenses in the country, and then make sure we finish those possessions by cleaning up the boards. We will continue to use analytics as a tool to measure our gains and find areas where we can improve."
 
Golden, 33, was officially named USF's head coach on Wednesday after serving the previous three seasons as associate head coach under former head coach Kyle Smith. Golden served as the primary recruiter and defensive specialist for the Dons under Smith.  Prior to that he spent two years in Auburn under head coach Bruce Pearl where he worked with the guards, coordinated scheduling, and was the took a lead role in analytical and metrics data.

No stranger to the WCC.  Golden was a four time letter winner for Saint Mary's where he helped guide the Gaels to two NCAA Tournament appearances.