No, Billy Donovan isn't Going to Kentucky

by Year2 on Mar 27, 2009 9:00 AM EDT in SEC Basketball

Right now, it looks like Billy Gillispie is on his way out the door at Kentucky. I'd imagine that nothing causes folks to hit the panic button in Lexington quite like missing the NCAA tournament does.

With another coach out at UK, you know what that means: speculation about Billy Donovan going up there to take the head coaching job. Pat Dooley doesn't believe it will happen, Kevin Brockway makes some good points in the negative, and Alligator Army reminds us all that the reason Billy D came back from the Orlando Magic was that he loved UF.

One of the other big arguments against Donovan leaving is that he already knows what the UK fanbase is like. After two down years in Gainesville, folks are restless but behind him 100%. After two down years in Kentucky, the Wildcats are ready to run Gillispie out of town.

Plus, I can remember it now: "We got the right Billy, and you didn't." That was the refrain I heard from 'Cats fans after Gillispie signed on. Now many of those fickle masses are yearning to make a trade of Billy's just two years later.

I understand that Florida basketball will always be in the shadow of Florida football, whereas the opposite is true at Kentucky. If anyone knows that it's Donovan, considering he's spent time at both places. However, there's something to be said for not having that kind of pressure and being able to survive a couple of rebuilding years without having to watch your back.

The top reason I don't see Donovan leaving is timing.

Why now? Why not two years ago? He's admitted that one reason why he wanted to try the NBA two years ago was that he recognized that it was going to be a multi-year project getting UF hoops back to full strength.

It appears that with the young core of players returning along with the coming of guys like Georgetown transfer Vernon Macklin and all-everything recruit Kenny Boynton, that project is nearing completion. Why bail on Florida at this point to do another rebuilding project at Kentucky?

The present would be a terrible time to go take that job. If he truly did want to go there someday, it would make more sense for him to make a run with the guys he's got now in Gainesville and wait for Lexington to chew up and spit out whoever comes in next.

I can't find any reasonable explanation as to why Billy Donovan would choose to leave Florida for Kentucky right now. Never is a long time, and he may decide one day that he's done all he can in Gainesville and that he wants a new challenge.

However, don't expect to see him leave in 2009.

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if he stays Florida ...

it will be because of his family, not his “love” for the university of florida. while he may have said he reversed his decision to join the NBA because of that “love,” i would venture to guess that a much more plausible explanation is he simply realized that coaching in the NBA is a joke. It’s not really coaching when all you do is fill out the rosters, and the primary play is the isolation drive of whoever your best player is … besides, i’m sure that weekend was filled with conversations from equally good college coaches (pitino, calipari, etc.) who went up and failed miserably because the players don’t want to run a full court press, or share the ball when their contract is up for negotiation …

in any case, i think you are mistaken when you say UK fans wouldn’t cut some slack to a coach coming off of two national championships. we like winning, but we aren’t idiots. a full roster of NBA caliber players limits the ability to recruit star prospects and replenish the roster. Don’t believe the hype you hear – we aren’t as fanatical as we’re made out to be. At least, no more so than Florida fans when it comes to football.

i also think you are mistaken to limit the appeal of coaching for a basketball school. if you look at the programs still in the tournament, not a single one has a football program worth writing home about (especially those number 1 and 2 seeds). At any school, there is a limited number of resources, both in fan support and money. The University of Florida is a fine school, but the fans won’t pack the seats year in and year out unless its football. At UK people go to football games to tailgate. We go to basketball games because we grew up on stories of Rupp, Grevey, Bowie, Riley, Issel, etc. The house is packed (literally sold out) for every game, regardless of whether the team doing well or not. Add to it a new arena in the works and a constant supply of money, i think it would be perfectly reasonable for a coach to want to make the move.

oh, and “why now?” Because now, he’ll be the savior. Gillespie isn’t going to leave because he is a bad recruiter. He’s leaving because he’s rude, arrogant, and stubborn. Quite a few pretty good players coming through the pipeline – some Billy D. tried to get at Florida. I can’t imagine a single one breaking their commitment if Billy D showed up, and i would guess, he recognizes that … he’ll be walking in to a 25 win season, fan support beyond belief, and a hefty pay raise.

by shavit on Mar 27, 2009 10:48 AM EDT reply actions

Really?

if you look at the programs still in the tournament, not a single one has a football program worth writing home about (especially those number 1 and 2 seeds).

Um, Oklahoma? Pittsburgh won nine games. Michigan State went to a NYD bowl and is seen as a rising program. North Carolina won eight games, fell just short of beating West Virginia in the bowl — also seen as program on the way up. All No. 1 or 2 seeds.

Left in the tournament? Missouri won 10 games last year, and Kansas has put a couple good years together.

I don’t presume to know whether Billy D. will go to Kentucky or not, though I would lean toward no. But saying you can’t have a good basketball program and a good football program is one of those cliches that’s just not a fact.

Team Speed Kills. All SEC, all the time.

by cocknfire on Mar 27, 2009 12:08 PM EDT up reply actions

ok, oklahoma is a valid one. But where is oklahoma going to be when Blake goes pro next year? I’ll say i was wrong on missouri as well, even though missouri generally puts a piss poor basketball team on the floor (this is the 4th year since 2000 they’ve gone over 20 wins? in a major conference? 20 wins at a school with a prominent program (NC, Duke, UConn, Syracuse, UK, etc.) is a way of saying “maybe next year will be better.”

But, throwing out North Carolina and Pittsburgh is just about ridiculous. Pittsburgh went 5-2 in a conference where first place was taken by the perennial powerhouse that is the University of Cincinnati (can you say that sentence without laughing?). Rutgers, UConn, Louisville … a 7-0 record against this competition in football might make you qualified to play Vanderbilt or Kentucky, but it doesn’t make you a good football program.

As for North Carolina, they’ve gone 12-13 over the past two years. from 2001-2005 they went 27-45. When i said “nothing to write home about” did you really try to argue with me with North Carolina?

as for the “couple of good years” for kansas, so did UK (three bowls in a row) … does that make us a football program? besides, post season play in football is handed out like candy canes at christmas …

in any case, my point was to say that there is generally one major focus in an athletic program with the vast majority of fan support and money headed straight in that direction. your one or two years worth of either a good basketball program or a good football program does not a “PROGRAM worth writing home about” make.

by shavit on Mar 27, 2009 4:40 PM EDT up reply actions

Not now

Like I said, he is finishing up a multi-year rebuilding project at Florida. There is no good reason why a competitive guy who wants to win would give it up for more rebuilding. Florida is not Kentucky, but it’s still a great place for basketball.

He’s not going to Kentucky now. I’m not saying it will never happen, but it won’t happen this time around. Might as well come to terms with that fact.

by Year2 on Mar 27, 2009 12:52 PM EDT up reply actions

yeah, but ...

how much rebuilding would he have to do? two years, tops? he’ll win 25 games next year out of UK easily. (i’m guessing that a real coach [i.e. one that knows what zone defense is, and how to run an offense]) will actually be able to do something with the talent coming in and already here)

A few years back i went to a UF-UK game at Florida … it’s a completely different world in Rupp. Not denigrating your fans or anything, but the difference was obvious. Kind of like when i saw Florida destroy UK in football in Lexington … people really do just go to tailgate.

by shavit on Mar 27, 2009 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions