Billy Donovan Would Be Crazy To Leave Florida...
Kentucky is a great gig, especially with the rich history behind the program, but Billy Donovan has something special in Gainsville.
Don't ruin it.
He's coached in two NCAA National Championships, bringing one title to the Sunshine State. His recruiting is solid, and he's turning a football school into a national powerhouse of college basketball.
Succeeding Tubby Smith as the head coach of the nations top men's basketball program has to be intruiging, and may be exactly what pulls him to Kentucky, but if he stays on his current path, he's likely to join the fraternity of coaching legends.
Just as Dean Smith did at North Carolina, Mike Krzyzewski at Duke, John Wooden at UCLA, and Jerry Tarkanian at UNLV, Billy Donovan could be the next person to enter the elite realm of the coaches hierarchy.
He's compiled a wining percentage of .698 at the University of Florida, and his numbers have steadily improved since he took over in 1996.
Not that the Kentucky job shouldn't be respected or even coveted. Of course, the fans are tough, but it comes with the territory of the top sports program in the region. As much as Kentucky fans wanted to see Tubby Smith leave town, the university stuck by their man. When he decided to leave, he wasn't fired, but given the opportunity to move on to another coaching position.
Kentucky even paid Tubby Smith a $1.5 million dollar loyalty bonus before leaving! Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart has class, and as tempting as it is to work for someone you can trust, Billy Donovan would be giving away too much if he bolted from Florida.
Does he want his own legacy? Or to follow in another?
Photo taken by Gerry Broome from the AP Photo Wire.
Labels: Football, Predictions, Sports
