Former Gators Basketball Assistant Leaves Current Head Coaching Role for Brutal Reason
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John Andrzejek was one of two Florida Gators men's basketball assistants to leave the program for a head coaching gig after winning a national title, with Andrzejek going to coach Campbell and Kevin Hovde going to coach Columbia.
After one season coaching the Camels, though, Andrzejek is reportedly departing from the program to be an associate head coach at Louisville, and for a very public reason.
Announcing his decision on Wednesday, Andrzejek pointed to Campbell's decision to "shift their commitment from basketball" and that the school's priorities are "not compatible with putting the kind of team on the floor that (the fans) deserve."
"Despite months of intense work and collaboration with AD Hannah Bazemore and our terrific athletics administration and several creative options that were proposed and thoroughly explored, there are no pathways that the institution will support to fund the program appropriately moving forward," Andrzejek said in his announcement. "I am deeply grateful to Dr. (J. Bradley) Creed, (Bazemore) and Deputy AD Justin Wilkins for giving me this opportunity a year ago and for their consistent support over the last 11 months.
"I certainly wish things had gone differently, as I know many others do."
Andrzejek's tenure ends with a 16-18 record and 8-10 record in CAA-play.
– John Andrzejek (@CoachAndrzejek) April 1, 2026
Before his brief stint at Campbell, he was Florida's defensive coordinator from 2023-25, helping the Gators complete a defensive turnaround on the way to the program's third national title. That season, Florida went 36-4, winning a national title and an SEC Tournament title while having the SEC's No. 4 scoring defense (69.6 points allowed per game) and the No. 6 defensive rating in the KenPom (91.8).
"John Andrzejek deserves a lot of credit for our defense," Florida head coach Todd Golden said last year. "He keeps us honest and makes sure we practice defensively enough every day. Just his intensity has really raised our floor that way."
Florida eventually promoted staffer Jonathan Safir to replace Andrzejek.
Andrzejek will now become the associate head coach at Louisville, according to the Field of 68's Jeff Goodman, marking his next stop after his stints at Campbell, Florida, Washington State (2019-23), Dartmouth (2018-19), Johns Hopkins (2017-18), San Fransico (2016-17) and Columbia (2012-16).
Florida, meanwhile, went 27-8 this season with an SEC regular-season title before being upset by Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament Semifinals and by Iowa in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. The Gators have not announced any staff changes, but all eyes are on associate head coach Carlin Hartman, a popular assistant around the country who has garnered interest as a head coach.
Hartman has not announced any decisions regarding his future.
"He's had a tremendous impact on me throughout these last three years. He's been like a second father to me," center Micah Handlogten told Florida Gators on SI after the loss to Iowa. "… I think he's the best coach in the country. I'm excited to see where he goes."
Meanwhile, Florida is looking to extend Golden's contract for the third-straight season to stave off other blue bloods, such as North Carolina, from targeting Golden. There's also Arizona, whose current head coach, Tommy Lloyd, is a rumored candidate at North Carolina. Lloyd's potential departure would create another popular opening around the country.
Nontheless, Florida has no doubts Golden will remain with the program.
"Todd wants to be at the University of Florida," athletic director Scott Stricklin said, via the Associate Press' Mark Long. "I wish all those [other] programs really good luck. I'm sure they'll find a good coach out there, and I'm glad Todd's going to be here for a long time."
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/florida as Former Gators Basketball Assistant Leaves Current Head Coaching Role for Brutal Reason.
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