GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — If Florida wins the national championship next season, Draymond Green should get a ring.
The Golden State Warriors forward was instrumental in convincing Gators star Thomas Haugh to postpose his NBA future and stay in school another year.
Haugh re-signed with Florida on Tuesday, nearly a week after teammate and close friend Alex Condon did the same, and following a conversation with Green. Center Rueben Chinyelu, meanwhile, is going through the NBA draft process with an eye on rejoining Haugh and Condon in Gainesville for another title run.
“They’re all boys, and they all want to be together,” coach Todd Golden said Wednesday.
Golden will be around, too.
“I’m definitely planning on coaching the Gators,” said Golden, who reportedly would be a target for the Warriors if coach Steve Kerr does not return.
The return of Haugh and Condon makes it unlikely that Golden would jump to the NBA. But keeping that door open could help his contract negotiations with Florida, which already said it plans on rewarding Golden with another raise and an extension.
Florida might consider sending at least a thank you card Green’s way.
Former Florida guard and current Warriors rookie Will Richard organized a conversation between Haugh and Green in which the first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection “was asking about the NBA and all these different things,” Golden said.
“I think Draymond gave him great perspective on what life in the NBA is like and what life in college is like and how enjoyable it is,” Golden added. “And it allowed him to be like, ‘All right, the NBA, not sounding arrogant, but it will be there for him.’ It’s going to be there.
“And he only has one more opportunity to be at Florida. So they had a great conversation, and I think that got him kind of thinking.”
Golden waited for Haugh to finish vacationing in Hawaii with his girlfriend before setting up a meeting in Los Angeles. Golden flew out with assistant coaches Carlin Hartman and Jonathan Safir, watched Haugh go through an offseason workout and then sat down for lunch when Haugh delivered the news.
“All of us were in great spirits for the rest of the day — and still are as a matter of fact,” Golden said.
The 6-foot-9, 215-pound Haugh led the Gators in scoring last season, averaging 17.1 points, to go along with 6.1 rebounds a game as a junior. He also totaled 73 assists, 58 3-pointers, 36 steals and 33 blocked shots while helping Florida win the SEC title and secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The 2025 national champions lost to Iowa in the second round of the tournament last month, a sour ending following a standout season. Golden said that outcome — Haugh was sobbing after the game — was pivotal in getting Haugh to run it back.
“If we would have made a deep run, we probably wouldn’t have as good of a chance of getting it back,” Golden said. “I think that’s reality; that’s human nature. And I think that kind of pours into his competitiveness and the legacy that he wants to leave here at Florida.”
Florida now has re-signed 10 of its 13 scholarship players from last season, with Chinyelu potentially making it 11. Point guard Xaivian Lee graduated, and center Micah Handlogten entered the transfer portal while he awaits word on gaining an extra year of eligibility.
Golden also has a commitment from former Kentucky guard Denzel Aberdeen, who spent three years at Florida before transferring and remains close friends with Haugh, Condon and Chinyelu. Aberdeen plans to re-enroll at Florida to finish his degree and is petitioning the NCAA for a fifth year of eligibility.
“It’s just a commonsense situation, in my opinion,” Golden said. “This isn’t a 27-year-old trying to play his eighth year in college at his sixth different school. This is a 22-year-old within his fifth-year clock coming back to get his degree. I think it would be a really weird stance to try to fight him from playing.”
With Aberdeen and Chinyelu, Florida would be the team to beat in the SEC and maybe in the country. The Gators might already be that with Haugh and Condon in the fold.
“Any time you can build and maintain your roster internally, it’s the way to do it," Golden said. “It’s not easy to do every year.”
Green surely helped.
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Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) gestures to the crowd after he was ejected in the closing minutes of a NBA play-in tournament game against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Ariz., Friday, April 17, 2026. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
ZUG, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 27, 2026--
vVARDIS Holding AG (“vVARDIS”), a high-growth dental medtech company pioneering non-invasive cavity treatment, today announced a strategic minority investment from Apollo-managed funds (“Apollo Funds”). The investment will support vVARDIS’ next phase of global growth and commercial expansion, including the continued rollout of its Curodont ™ suite of products. The investment establishes vVARDIS as one of Europe’s few privately owned, billion-dollar-plus, healthcare companies. vVARDIS’ founders and co-CEOs, Drs. Haley and Goly Abivardi, will retain a substantial majority shareholding in the company.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260415938477/en/
vVARDIS is redefining the treatment of cavities through its Curodont ™ technology, the first and only commercially available non-invasive peptide-containing formulations clinically proven to treat tooth decay. Curodont ™ supports enamel repair by facilitating the formation of crystalline mineral structure throughout the affected area, giving dental professionals an easy-to-use, restorative option to treat early-stage cavities as an alternative to traditional drilling. Since the launch of Curodont ™ Repair Fluoride Plus in the U.S. over two years ago, it has been used to treat approximately 3 million teeth, is now present in nearly 20 percent of general dental practices nationwide 1 and is one of the fastest-growing dental products in the U.S. 2.
“vVARDIS has built a differentiated business, with Drs. Haley and Goly Abivardi pioneering a new category in dental care backed by peer-reviewed clinical studies,” said Jeremy Honeth, Partner and Andrea Vanni, Managing Director at Apollo. “Apollo Funds’ investment supports the company’s continued expansion in key markets across the US and Europe, bringing this restorative therapy to more practices and patients worldwide.”
“Curodont ™ fills a longstanding gap in dentistry: when prevention fails, dentists now have a quick, easy-to-use non-invasive treatment free of drilling and needles. The rapid adoption of Curodont ™ reflects the urgency of that unmet need,” said Haley Abivardi, DMD, co-CEO and co-founder of vVARDIS. “Apollo Funds’ investment strengthens our commercial foundation in the US and Europe and enables us to scale this environmentally sustainable technology across markets.”
Goly Abivardi, DMD, co-CEO and co-founder of vVARDIS, said, “Our mission is to bring a medical, science driven approach to dentistry. Using peptide-containing formulations, our non-invasive technology is an innovative treatment designed to treat tooth decay without drilling and without polymer materials. Apollo Funds’ investment reinforces our leadership in generative dentistry and advances the future of oral science.”
Tooth decay is the world’s most prevalent non-communicable disease, affecting nearly 90 percent of US adults. Oral health is closely linked to overall health, and untreated cavities can contribute to serious chronic conditions, including a 26 percent increased risk of all-cause mortality 3. Recently published WHO guidelines reinforce vVARDIS’ mission of early intervention and non-invasive care, as the company targets an addressable market of over $30 billion in the US.
The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
About vVARDIS AG
vVARDIS is a disruptive Swiss healthcare company in the dental med-tech sector headquartered in Zug, Switzerland that offers groundbreaking, non-invasive solutions for dental professionals with the Curodont ™ brand of products. Founded by Drs. Haley and Goly Abivardi, DMDs, sisters, internationally renowned dentists, innovators and self-made serial entrepreneurs, vVARDIS is the result of more than 25 years of research, paired with the commitment of its founders to make an impact on people's lives, especially the underserved.
vVARDIS' mission is to expand access to novel approaches that create new standards of care in dentistry with the purpose of improving oral health – the foundation for overall health. Backed by 25 years of research and more than 10 years of use in clinical practices globally, vVARDIS’ products and science are supported by more than 250 scientific publications, including meta-analysis, peer-reviewed and long-term peer-reviewed real-world evidence clinical studies, with a documented success rate above 90%. Curodont ™ products are already presented in the lectures of renowned universities as a standard of care for the treatment of early decay. vVARDIS was awarded the 2026 Innovative Company of the Year and is a member of the World Economic Forum Innovator Communities. For more information, visit vVARDIS at www.vVARDIS.com and www.linkedin.com/company/vvardis .
About Apollo
Apollo is a high-growth, global alternative asset manager. In our asset management business, we seek to provide our clients excess return at every point along the risk-reward spectrum from investment grade credit to private equity. For more than three decades, our investing expertise across our fully integrated platform has served the financial return needs of our clients and provided businesses with innovative capital solutions for growth. Through Athene, our retirement services business, we specialize in helping clients achieve financial security by providing a suite of retirement savings products and acting as a solutions provider to institutions. Our patient, creative, and knowledgeable approach to investing aligns our clients, businesses we invest in, our employees, and the communities we impact, to expand opportunity and achieve positive outcomes. As of December 31, 2025, Apollo had approximately $938 billion of assets under management. To learn more, please visit www.apollo.com.
Photo credit: Dr. Mehrdad Razaghy, DDS
Photo credit: Jos Schmid, Photographer
