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Myron medcalf
San Antonio – At the age of 39, Todd Golden is one of the youngest university basketball coaches who led the team to the national title match. Kelvin Sampson, who will be 70 years at the end of this year, is one of the oldest.
Houston’s leader has been the head coach for over 40 years and has achieved the last four times, but Sampson’s success and experience are not gators, Golden said.
“I obviously respect everyone we play with,” Golden said. “We are not afraid of people. We respect them.
“The fact that we were able to compete and stay alive through five games in the tournament, (we are) incredibly proud. It’s a great opportunity for us (Monday) Night. Coach Sampson is the head of the Hall of Fame.
On Saturday evening, Sampson employed his best rated defense to beat Duke in Final Four, although he was nine points with 1:31 to play in the game. Cougars will now play in their third national championships after one of the most good comebacks in the history of the NCAA tournament.
Florida will also play in her fourth national championship and the first since she won the national titles of her back in 2006 and 2007.
“I mean, their defense is a lot of worrying,” he said. “You look at a guy like (Joseph Tugler), (J’wan Roberts), they have an incredible length and athletics inside the color and physicality. He wears you down and really hard on you. Yeah, it definitely concerns me. I think we will have a few different ideas, a few different courses, for lack of better deadline to throw them late in the game. I think there will be some problems. If we do not remove well, we will have trouble. ”
While Sampson could put a bow on a decorated career on Monday evening, Golden could also join the short list of coaches under 50 who reduce the network. But no matter what happens in the Championship game, Golden said he would feel privileged to face the legend in his profession.
“He’s just a wonderful coach,” Golden said. “This is the biggest challenge. He did it on an incredibly high level for a long time in many different places. Coach Sampson and Houston program are certainly one of the most difficult programs in America. They have done it for a long time.”
