How the 2025 Florida Gators Came Together and Cut Down the Nets

#TeamTuesday | April 8, 2025

Last night, the Florida Gators men’s basketball team did what few believed was possible at the start of the season—they won the 2025 NCAA National Championship.

But what stood out more than the final score was the way they won: through unity, grit, and leadership from the inside out.

“We stopped playing for stats. We started playing for each other.”

—Senior Guard, Marcus Taylor

Early in the season, this team was talented but inconsistent. Coach Todd Golden described it best:

“We had all the ingredients, but they weren’t blending yet. We had to learn how to serve each other, not just play next to each other.”

Midseason, the team had a meeting—no coaches, no cameras. Just players. That’s when Marcus Taylor, a fifth-year senior, stood up and said, “You can chase points or chase purpose. You can’t do both.”

That moment became a turning point.

Leadership Principle #1:

Culture doesn’t happen by chance—it happens by choice.

From that meeting on, practices shifted. The bench got louder. Stars passed up shots to make the extra pass. Role players became rock stars in their lanes. And the Gators went on a 14-game tear into March Madness.

“Coach trusted us. That made us want to go through a wall for him.”

—Forward, Darius Bell

Coach Golden didn’t overcoach in the tournament. He stayed calm. He let his leaders lead. In huddles, he often said one thing:

“You already know what to do. Just do it together.”

That level of belief inspired confidence—and composure in pressure-packed moments.

Leadership Principle #2:

Empowerment beats micromanagement.

When people are trusted, they rise. When they’re micromanaged, they shrink.

“This team is a brotherhood.”

—Championship Game MVP, Xavier Miles

Miles wasn’t the projected star this year. But when starting point guard AJ Boone went down mid-tourney, Xavier stepped up—both as a player and a vocal leader.

“We prayed together. We cried together. We stayed up watching film when we wanted to sleep. We weren’t just chasing a trophy—we were chasing legacy.”

Leadership Principle #3:

True teams are built in the hard places.

Adversity didn’t fracture the Gators—it forged them. And when the final buzzer sounded in Phoenix last night, they didn’t just celebrate a win. They celebrated a journey that changed every single one of them.