Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
Support independent student journalism. Support independent student journalism. Support independent student journalism.
The Dartmouth
March 28, 2024 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Junior forward continues to evolve in new roles on the court

2.6.14.sports.johngolden
2.6.14.sports.johngolden

John Golden ’15 has always been tall for his age. On his first day of middle school, Golden stood a 5-foot 6-inches, but by freshman year he towered over his peers, looming over the competition at 6-feet 4-inches.

Taking advantage of his height, Golden tried football, lacrosse and basketball but ultimately weeded out the hobbies from his passion: basketball. Thanks to two older brothers, Golden grew up on a basketball court and can hardly remember a time when he didn’t play.

After playing four years of varsity basketball in high school, Golden spent a postgraduate year at the Northfield Mount Hermon School, four hours from his hometown of Freehold, N.J.

With his sights not set explicitly on the Ivy League, Golden remained unsure about his future in the NCAA. On his official visit to Dartmouth, however, he was wooed by head coach and seasoned recruiter Paul Cormier. He met with former College President Jim Yong Kim, and was told by the coaches that he would be able to begin playing right away.

Two games into his season at Northfield Mount Hermon, Golden committed to the Big Green. As promised, he started his first five games at Dartmouth but struggled to adjust to the college game and was pulled from the starting rotation.

By the end of his first season, Golden had worked his way back into the starting line-up. In his two-and-a-half years at the College, Golden has developed into a key component of the Big Green’s rising win percentage, taking a leading role this season as the team chases its best record in years.

“John is the most athletic player on the team,” captain Tyler Melville ’14 said. “He’s had a couple of explosive dunks, and I’ve seen his progression over the years. He’s expanded his game to take opponents off the dribble and developed his midrange game, too.”

This past week, Golden earned the honor of Ivy League co-player of the week for his lights-out performances in Leede Arena against the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University. The team’s impressive wins came at a time of readjustment, as it changes its strategy to accommodate for the loss of center Gabas Maldunas ’15, who is out with an injury.

“We’re definitely going to expect John to get more rebounds,” Melville said. “It’s going to be a group effort because Gabas was so explosive on the rebounds.”

Since Maldunas’s departure, Golden has changed his role on the team and tried to step up to fill that production instead of deferring his offensive opportunities, he said.

“I haven’t necessarily been super aggressive playing-wise until recently,” Golden said.

Golden gave two of his best performances to date, scoring 34 points across the two games and grabbing 11 rebounds. In the game against Penn on Friday night, Golden was instrumental in the Big Green’s comeback from a two-point deficit midway through the second, sinking five shots for 11 points in just over six minutes. This feat was eclipsed the next night, however, when Golden posted a personal season high of 19 points against Princeton in overtime, sending the Tigers back to his home state empty-handed. Golden nabbed two points and a rebound in the extra period, helping seal the Big Green’s 78-69 win.

Golden’s contributions reach beyond the stat sheet, teammate Alex Mitola ’16 said, pointing out his ability to remain level-headed and calm.

“John does a great job of really not letting his emotions get to him,” Mitola said. “He doesn’t let his highs get too high and his lows get too low.”

Golden will look to continue the team’s momentum this weekend with another pair of home games against Yale University and Brown University.