SAN ANTONIO – Steven Pearl and Todd Golden talk so often, it’s hard for Peal to remember precisely when they realized this weekend might be possible.
Friends since they played together at the 2006 Maccabi Games in Australia, Pearl and Golden have stayed close as they climbed through their playing and, now, coaching careers. It’s easier to remember the days they don’t connect, at least briefly.
So it was hard for Pearl to pin down exactly which Florida game — he estimated about three months ago — impressed him so much he realized Florida and Auburn might meet in San Antonio. That night, he called Golden and told him how good Florida looked. Golden replied in kind.
“‘If we both continue to progress, it’s not crazy to say we’ll meet in San Antonio for the Final Four,’” Golden told his friend.
Saturday night, they will.
“We were hoping it would be on a Monday night, not Saturday night, but the fact that we actually spoke it into existence a few months ago is kind of crazy,” Pearl told USA TODAY Sports on Friday. “We both ended up here. It’s pretty cool.”
Saturday’s early semifinal will be the latest reunion for two basketball families whose roots stretch back two decades. Pearl and Golden played together multiple times at the Maccabi Games, including in 2009 on a team coached by Pearl’s father, Bruce.
Now, Golden is coaching Florida in its first Final Four appearance since 2014. Bruce Pearl has Auburn in the national semifinal for the second time in the last six years, with his son, Steven, serving as associate head coach and defensive coordinator.
“It’s a little surreal, to be honest, to be able to be here at the Final Four. That in itself is a little surreal. But playing on Saturday against one of your biggest and best mentors, not exactly something you expect when the season starts,” Golden said Thursday. “I know he’s incredibly proud of me. I’m incredibly grateful for him and his family and the opportunities they provided for me.
“I would not be here if I didn’t have my relationship and experience working with and being around Bruce and his son, Steven. A little bit of a full-circle moment for both of us.”
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Bruce Pearl brought Golden with him as an assistant when Pearl took the Auburn job in 2014. Golden spent two years with the Tigers before moving to San Francisco, where he worked three seasons each as an assistant and then three more as head coach.
When he parlayed that into the Florida job, in 2022, Golden returned to the SEC coaching against one of his mentors, and a pair of old friends.
“Even though I only had Todd for two years, he helped lay the foundation, helped getting some of the recruiting started that helped us in our fourth year,” Bruce Pearl said. “Todd and (Golden’s wife) Megan had just gotten married. They were newlyweds. They had their first son while he was at Auburn. I was one of the first to hold his son. There’s a close connection.”
That foundation Pearl referenced now supports one of the best basketball programs in the country. Auburn has won 25 or more games in six of the last eight seasons, with a combined five SEC regular-season and tournament titles.
The Tigers have been among college basketball’s best teams all season. They moved into the top five in both major polls after one week, and never left, with multiple turns at No. 1.
This time around, Golden’s Florida joined them. After two years of steady build — including 24 wins and an NCAA tournament appearance last season — the Gators rejoined the ranks of the elite, winning the SEC tournament and grabbing a No. 1 seed.
Golden, Steven Pearl said, was a dogged competitor on those Maccabi Games teams, in addition to being a dangerous shooter.
Steven Pearl said he sees the same competitive streak in Golden’s teams that defined Golden when he played.
“He was scrappy. He worked hard. He was gritty when he was out there. He was really focused on the details of things,” Steven Pearl said. “I don’t think that’s any different than how he coaches. He’s very energetic on the sideline. He really gets after it. He’s competitive …. In coaching, I think that gives you an edge and your players respond well to that, and I think they take that identity as well, which is why they’ve been so successful this year.”
Someone’s year will end Saturday night. Florida — which won the two teams’ only meeting this season by nine in February in Auburn — is a narrow favorite.
The outcome won’t change the strong bond connecting both sidelines. For years, Golden and the Pearls have stayed close. This season, they’ve tracked and cheered one another’s success.
When Golden’s Florida defeated Texas Tech in the Elite Eight, and Auburn beat Michigan State a day later, that conversation months ago with his old friend turned prophetic.
“We FaceTimed on Sunday after they beat Michigan State. We were shaking our heads like, ‘Man, we’re legitimately going to the Final Four, competing against each other,’” Golden said. “Bruce and Steven are incredibly important to me, have been really impactful with the opportunities I’ve had. I’m just really grateful for my relationship with them. I think it speaks volumes about the way we build our programs that we’re both still alive right now.”
Follow IndyStar reporter Zach Osterman on X: @ZachOsterman.