What Florida Basketball Coach Will Do Next
Contents
- Billy Donovan’s next move
- The Florida Gators’ new head coach
- Why Donovan decided to leave Florida
- Donovan’s coaching career thus far
- The potential candidates to replace Donovan
- Who is the front-runner for the job?
- How will the Gators fare without Donovan?
- What does this mean for the SEC?
- What’s next for Donovan?
- Where will Donovan coach next?
What Florida basketball coach Will Do Next – It has been widely speculated that Florida basketball coach Billy Donovan will be the next Head Coach of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder
Billy Donovan’s next move
In the wake of his departure from the University of Florida where he spent the last 19 years as head coach Billy Donovan is reportedly considering several different options for his next move.
According to ESPN, Donovan is interested in coaching in the NBA, either as a Head Coach or an assistant. He has also been linked to the open head coaching position with the University of Kentucky Wildcats
Donovan is not expected to make a decision on his future immediately, but whichever route he chooses, it will be interesting to see what he does next.
The Florida Gators’ new head coach
The Florida Gators’ new Head coach Mike White is a former player and Assistant Coach at the University of Mississippi. He has also been an assistant coach at the University of Louisville and the University of Virginia
Why Donovan decided to leave Florida
In an exclusive interview with ESPN, Donovan said that he met with Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley on Monday morning to discuss his future with the Gators.
“I just felt like it was time for me to move on and explore some other opportunities out there,” Donovan said. “It was a very difficult decision. I love the University of Florida I love Gainesville, I love the state of Florida. But I just felt like it was time for me to move on.”
Donovan had been at Florida for 19 years, including the last 11 as head coach He led the Gators to two National Championships and four Final Fours.
Donovan’s coaching career thus far
Donovan has coached the Florida Gators for 19 seasons, winning two national championships and making six Final Fours. He has also coached the USA Basketball men’s national team winning a gold medal at the 2010 FIBA World Championship
As Donovan’s coaching career has progressed, he has shown a willingness to adapt his style to fit his personnel. When he first took over the Gators, they were a guard-oriented team that relied on Three-point shooting Donovan later recruited big men Joakim Noah and Al Horford, who helped the Gators win titles in 2006 and 2007 with a more traditional inside-out approach.
In recent years Donovan has embraced small ball, using four or even five guards at a time to spread the floor and create open shots for his shooters. This style has helped the Gators stay competitive in a tough SEC, and it will be interesting to see what Donovan does next as he continues to evolve as a coach.
The potential candidates to replace Donovan
Now that Billy Donovan has decided to leave Florida for the NBA, the Gators are in the market for a new basketball coach Here are some of the top candidates to replace him:
1. John Calipari Calipari is currently the head coach at Kentucky, but he has also coached at UMass and Memphis. He is known for his ability to develop players and send them to the NBA. He would be a big get for Florida, but it is unlikely that he would leave Kentucky for the Gators.
2. Shaka Smart: Smart is the current head coach at VCU. He is a rising star in the coaching ranks and has been linked to several high-profile jobs in recent years He would be a good fit at Florida, but it is unclear if he would be interested in leaving VCU.
3. Gregg Marshall: Marshall is the head coach at Wichita State He has built Wichita State into a Basketball Power and has taken them to the NCAA tournament several times. It is unclear if he would be interested in leaving Wichita State for Florida, but he would be a good fit if he did choose to do so.
4. Chris Mack Mack is currently the head coach at Xavier. He has coached Xavier to several NCAA Tournament appearances and has been linked to other high-profile jobs in recent years It is unclear if he would be interested in leaving Xavier for Florida, but he would be a good fit if he did choose to do so.
Who is the front-runner for the job?
There has been much speculation about who will be the next basketball coach for the University of Florida While there are many qualified candidates, there is one front-runner who seems to be the favorite for the job.
Coach John Calipari is the current Head Coach of the University of Kentucky He has led the Wildcats to four Final Fours and one National Championship He is widely considered one of the best coaches in college basketball
Coach Calipari has said that he is interested in the Florida job, and he would be a great fit for the program. He has a proven track record of success, and he knows how to win at the highest level The Florida players would benefit from his coaching and guidance.
The Florida administration is expected to make a decision soon, and Coach Calipari is the strong favorite to be the next head coach of the Gators.
How will the Gators fare without Donovan?
It’s been ten years since Billy Donovan left the University of Florida men’s basketball team to become the head coach of the NBA’s Orlando Magic In that time, Donovan has led the Gators to two national championships and four Final Fours. He’s also been named the SEC Coach of the Year three times.
Now, with Donovan leaving Florida for the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder the question on everyone’s mind is how will the Gators fare without him?
The answer is, it depends.
In the short-term, it will be difficult for Florida to replace Donovan. He was one of the best college basketball coaches in the country and his departure leaves a big hole in the program.
But in the long-term, Florida should be fine. The Gators have a lot of young talent and they’re recruiting well. Plus, they have a good head coach in place in Mike White.
So while it will be tough to see Billy Donovan go, there is reason to believe that the Florida Gators will be just fine without him.
What does this mean for the SEC?
The SEC is widely considered the best Basketball Conference in the country. Kentucky has won the most NCAA Championships of any team in the nation, and Florida has won two in the last ten years. With both of these powerhouses in the same conference, it is no wonder that the SEC has dominated College Basketball for so many years.
However, with Florida coach Billy Donovan leaving to take over the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder there is now a gaping hole in the SEC. Kentucky is still the clear favorite to win the conference, but there are a few teams that could step up and challenge the Wildcats for supremacy.
LSU is one team that could make a run at the SEC title. The Tigers have a talented roster and a new head coach in Johnny Jones that has SEC experience. Additionally, LSU will have home court advantage throughout the conference tournament thanks to their hosting duties.
Another team to watch out for is Arkansas. The Razorbacks have a new Head Coach in Mike Anderson and a talented group of players that could make some noise in the SEC this season. Arkansas also has a favorable schedule, as they will avoid Kentucky and Florida until potentially meeting them in the SEC tournament
With Donovan gone, the door is now open for another team to take over as kings of the SEC. It will be interesting to see who steps up and takes advantage of this opportunity.
What’s next for Donovan?
It’s been a whirlwind few weeks for Florida basketball coach Billy Donovan. After leading the Gators to a third straight Elite Eight appearance, Donovan announced that he would be leaving Florida to take over as head coach of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder
Just days after Donovan’s departure, the Gators named former Louisiana Tech head coach Mike White as their new head coach Now, the question on everyone’s mind is what Donovan will do next.
There has been speculation that Donovan could return to the college ranks and take over at his alma mater, Providence. But with White already in place at Florida, it seems unlikely that Donovan would back out of his new job with the Thunder.
Another possibility is that Donovan could take a year off from coaching and spend time with his family. He has said in the past that he would like to retire early and enjoy life outside of basketball.
Whatever he decides to do, it’s clear that Donovan has a bright future ahead of him.
Where will Donovan coach next?
This is a difficult question to answer, as Donovan has not giving any indication of his plans for the future. It is safe to say that he will not be coaching at Florida next season, as he has already announced his departure from the university. Beyond that, it is anyone’s guess as to where he will end up.
There have been rumors that Donovan may be considering a return to the NBA, where he coached the Orlando Magic for two seasons before returning to Florida in 2015. He has also been mentioned as a possible candidate for vacant head coaching positions with other college programs, such as UCLA and Michigan State Ultimately, it will be up to Donovan himself to decide where he wants to coach next.