SAN ANTONIO — In the impatient, impetuous world of college athletics where wisdom and judiciousness are in short supply, University of Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin’s patience and prudence are a major reason the Gators are in the Final Four this weekend.

Not only did Stricklin pull off one of the most astute collegiate hires in recent memory when he made the bold move of choosing then-36-year-old Todd Golden to coach Florida’s basketball team, his gutsy decision to stand by Golden amid salacious accusations of sexual exploitation, harassment and stalking set the stage for a magical season that has gone from tumultuous to triumphant.

The charges against Golden triggered a comprehensive Title IX investigation, casting a scandalous shadow on the program and placing immense pressure on Stricklin and UF’s administration to act decisively. In today’s cancel-culture climate, the expedient path would have been to suspend or even dismiss Golden to mitigate potential reputational damage. After all, nobody had any inclination at the time that the Gators had a national championship-caliber team.

However, Stricklin chose a different course — one rooted in the principles of unwavering support, due process and innocent until proven guilty. He put his own job on the line by allowing the investigation to unfold without prejudgment, allowing Golden to keep coaching his team despite the potential of the damning allegations being proven true.

“Both morally and legally, it was the right thing to do,” Stricklin told me on the eve of Florida’s Final Four matchup Saturday night with Auburn. “Anyone can make an allegation, but it doesn’t mean it’s true. He [Golden] has rights just like the people who make allegations have rights. And so there’s a process and we followed that process. Todd has been completely honest and truthful since I first met him and I had no reason to think that was any different in this situation.”

An independent firm conducted an extensive four-month inquiry involving numerous interviews — an investigation that was completed in January with “no evidence” substantiating the claims against Golden. The university officially cleared him of all allegations, and Golden — reflecting on the ordeal — expressed relief and gratitude, stating, “The last several months have been a challenge for my family and me. The UAA [University Athletic Association] and so many at the University have been tremendously supportive — my family and I are extremely grateful.”

Golden and his attorney threatened a lawsuit against his anonymous accuser/accusers for defamation of character but made it clear that any potential legal action would take place after the season. With the investigation behind them, Golden’s Gators channeled their focus back to the court, embarking on this remarkable run to the Final Four. In the process, Golden has been everything Stricklin envisioned when the coach was hired three years ago.

On the day Stricklin introduced his young whiz-kid coach to Gator Nation, he resurrected a quote from one of the most legendary athletes of all time when asked why he chose Golden to lead UF’s basketball program.

“Wayne Gretzky once said, ‘Don’t skate where the puck is; skate where the puck is going to be,’ ” Stricklin said then.

In other words, he believed the analytics-driven Golden, who had just led San Francisco to its first NCAA tourney in 25 years, was the future of college basketball. After consulting with legendary former UF coach and new Hall of Famer Billy Donovan (now the coach of the Chicago Bulls) and former Gators assistant coach Mark Daigneault (now the reigning NBA Coach of the Year with the Oklahoma City Thunder), Stricklin became enamored with Golden’s maniacal, mathematical approach to the game.

Even when he was a player, Golden employed advanced analytics to improve his chances of getting playing time. When Golden got into college as a walk-on point guard at St. Mary’s, his coaches charted 40 different “hustle stats” at practice. Golden not only committed them to memory, he took them to heart.

He worked to improve his numbers in all of the key “winning” statistical categories and quickly became a starter, helping St. Mary’s to two NCAA tourney bids before graduating. It reached a point where he could calculate not only his own plus-minus numbers in his head but the plus-minus numbers of his teammates as well. As a senior, he ranked second in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio.

“Todd has a next-level way of thinking,” Stricklin says. “You know, a lot of people talk about analytics, but he actually had a plan and examples of how analytics had helped him build his teams.”

Speaking of analytics, what would have been the percentages six months ago that Gator Nation would be praising Stricklin’s wisdom? Fans wanted him to pull the plug on football coach Billy Napier, who was seemingly on his way to a third straight losing season, and his basketball coach was the subject of an embarrassing Title IX investigation.

Now, here we are.

Napier’s team closed the season with four straight victories and may have turned the corner. Golden’s team has become one of the greatest in school history.

“You’re investing in people,” Stricklin says. “And I have a lot of faith in our people. Even successful people stub their toe every once in a while. As Billy Donovan once said: Great coaches know how to overcome adversity and not let it distract them.”

And successful ADs must also ignore the noise in the system — even when it’s turned up to 10 — and focus on the end game.

Stricklin’s steadfast support for both Todd Golden and Billy Napier underscores a leadership philosophy that prioritizes long-term vision over short-term appeasement.​

Patience over panic.

Reflection over reaction.

In the end, it wasn’t just Florida’s coaches who proved themselves this season; it was the athletic director who believed in them.

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