Bull Green returned to the college program where he honed his craft.
Green was officially announced Monday by UF men’s basketball coach Todd Golden as Florida’s director of player development, bringing the point guard from Florida’s two national championship teams back to Gainesville.
“I couldn’t be more excited to have Taurean join our team,” Golden said. “He is one of the best to ever wear the Gator uniform and understands what it takes to reach the highest levels here. He will be an incredible resource for our student-athletes and an important link to the tradition of excellence here, both for our fans and for all former Gators who will always be part of the Florida family.
A native of Fort Lauderdale, Green recently wrapped up his first season with the Chicago Bulls, where he served as player development coordinator under the former UF coach. Billy Donovan. Before moving to the coaching side, Green played professionally for 14 years before announcing his retirement in 2021, though his reputation in Florida arguably outweighs the one he developed after college.
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Taurean Green is part of the national championship teams
Green arrived in Gainesville before the 2004-05 season as part of the historic “04” recruiting class, which led the Gators to back-to-back national championships in their second and junior seasons with the program.
Green, a two-time All-SEC honoree, also led the Gators in scoring during the 2006-07 season with 13.3 points per game. Following his UF career, Green was selected with the 52nd overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, although he was later traded to the Denver Nuggets midway through his rookie season.
“Gainesville has become like another home to me during my time at UF, and I can’t wait to be back,” Green said. “Florida is such a special place, and I’m ready to do whatever I can to help our players, Todd Golden, the coaching staff and the entire program be successful,” Green said. “Gator Nation, it feels good to come home!”
Golden originally revealed the plan to bring Green back to Gainesville during an appearance on Jeff Goodman’s The Field of 68 podcast.
“We’re going to bring in Taurean Green to be our director of player development, which I’m really, really excited about,” Golden said. “We’re going to bring him in after the season is over, hopefully they win the (NBA) title. We haven’t announced it yet, but he was great. Billy was great on board and he thought it was great. It was a great idea to bring back someone who truly understood what made Florida great.”
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