Jun
5
SILLY BILLY, TRICKS ARE FOR KIDS!
Filed Under NCAA Basketball
Billy Donovan Appears Headed Back to the University of Florida after Disappearing Act from the Orlando Magic!
With Billy Donovan asking out of his new deal with the Orlando Magic and seemingly heading back to coach the Florida Gators, this whole scenario could have been avoided if Billy the Kid realized how good he had it in Gainesville:
? Two straight national championships in this age of parity in college basketball.
? 3 national championship game appearances in this decade (no other school has been there more than once in that time period; Michigan State, Arizona, Duke, Indiana, Maryland, Kansas, Syracuse, Georgia Tech, UCONN, Illinois, North Carolina, UCLA, and Ohio State have all appeared in the title game since the millennium).
? A stud recruiting class coming into the best college basketball program going in the country.
? A chance to become a Coach K-like figure, a living legend in the game at only 42 years of age with at least one more title.
When being introduced as the new head coach of the Magic early on Friday, Donovan seemed confident that he made the difficult yet right decision. However, sentimentality and his heart got in the way when saying his goodbyes to the University of Florida community in a press conference later that day.
In just a matter of hours, Donovan apparently realized what he was giving up in favor of a five-year, $27.5 million with the Magic, which allegedly only gave him a 24-hour window to make a decision.
In 11 years, Donovan has made basketball more than matter at football-crazed Florida. While not the top game in town, basketball has become a passion at Florida thanks to Donovan. He has built the best program in not only the SEC but also the country. He is loved at the school and by the national media for the most part, prior to this incident.
Donovan must have been tossing and turning with these thoughts in his mind on Friday night. According to various reports, Donovan woke up Saturday morning and knew that he made a mistake. Since then, he has been working both the pro and college sides of the fence, trying to get the Magic to let him out of his contract and advising Florida A.D. Jeremy Foley to not hire a coach yet.
Donovan looks like he will get his wish and return to Florida. However, he has not done so without much egg on his face. While the Gator Nation will open its arms to him with much delight and let bygones be bygones, Donovan has definitely done some damage to his reputation.
On Friday, he said that it would have been easy to return to the University of Florida. He echoed how the NBA was a new challenge for him. And now he is apparently taking the easy way out, at least based on what he said. While this was obviously a hard decision on Donovan (he has allegedly expressed his apologies to the Magic several times), he’s definitely contradicted himself in this regard.
While I’m not trying to be too hard on Donovan as it appears his decision was based on his emotions and it took him a brief time away to realize what he truly had with the Gators, he should have just stayed at Florida to begin with. Nothing he could have ever done in the pros would have matched what he’s already done and is likely going to continue do in college basketball.
Phil Jackson won six championships as a coach in Chicago, and fans rarely talk about him at all nowadays in the city. That’s the difference between being a pro coach and a college coach. When you accomplish something big at the college level, you are not just appealing to the University and its current students and fan base. You are appealing to alumni, oftentimes a state and something much bigger, closer and tangible to everyday people.
When Donovan first burst onto the scene at Florida, he was called a dirty recruiter by other jealous coaches. Those claims were never proven to be true. With that said, Donovan has provided his rivals with an opportunity to tell recruits that Billy will be gone soon again. In other words, these coaches will be saying that you can’t take Billy for his word.
With that said, if this is the biggest of Donovan’s problems coming out of this situation, then he’ll be fine. He’s dealt with allegations from jealous coaches before and survived quite well.
Hopefully, Donovan has realized that what he has at Florida is special and stays here for a very long time. Because if Donovan heads out of town after next season for a pro job, he will be as slimy as the recruiters who called him out some ten years ago and those who will be manipulating a fresh batch of unsigned recruits this upcoming season with such innuendo.
College basketball is apparently getting one of its top coaches back, and here’s hoping that Donovan runs with this second chance at Florida as he did with his first. Realize what you’ve got Billy because second chances don’t come to everybody.
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