Tag: Joe Golding

Abilene Christian head coach asks Chris Beard for rematch against Texas

Abilene Christian head coach Joe Golding tweeted at Texas head coach Chris Beard on Friday offering a rematch in early December.

Shaka Smart’s Texas squad was shockingly upset by No. 14 Abilene Christian in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Continue reading “Abilene Christian head coach asks Chris Beard for rematch against Texas”

Turns out Abilene Christian coach Joe Golding is a pretty decent dancer

Shake a leg.

Earlier today we brought you the exhilarating exploits of Paul Hiepler, a deep reserve who spent Abilene Christian’s upset victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament shouting and making the greatest faces you’ve ever seen. In the seconds after the 14-seed Wildcats vanquished the No. 3 Texas Longhorns, he mercilessly flipped the upside-down horns.

He’s not the only character on this team worth learning about, though. Head coach Joe Golding took over the program a decade ago as it was set to return to the Division I level, saw it through some very lean years (he was 71-105 through six seasons before finally finishing .500 in his seventh season), and it seems, also learned some dance moves along the way.

(Our guy Hiepler, No. 33, is feeling this, too!)

It’s not clear when this video was taken. I don’t believe the dance actually occurred last night, since Abilene Christian wore purple jerseys in its win over Texas. But it’s worth sharing. (Also, let’s remember the time Joe Golding coached with a hole in his pants. This guy is unencumbered by society’s expectations. He’ll dance with abandon. He’ll wear split trousers. He’ll win tournament games.)

This all must be incredibly gratifying for Golding, who played at Abilene Christian in the mid 1990s, then worked his way up the coaching ladder with high school and JUCO stints.

Also, can I just point out that the player pictured with Golding in the photo at the top of this story is named Joe Pleasant. He had a lovely 11 points, tied for a team high, including these two free throws:

Here’s how the kids at his school experienced those moments.

This is fun.

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