I watched the whole press conference, and Donovan is leaving

[Valuebets]

All kiddings aside, I really hope he goes to Kentucky and restore that historic program. Tubby Smith did virtually nothing there over his tenure. Sure, he won a championship but it was with battle tested players recruited by Pitino. Tubby's best player during his era was probably his god damn son.

Billy is a great coach. I think he's one of the few coaches that run basically a pro offense/1-4 sets with lots of different baseline crosses for his big guys. I think this is one of the main reasons why his big players usually exceed their expectations in the pros, ie David Lee, Udonis Haslem, and Matt Bonner.

And we all know he is a relentless recruiter. I still remember when he first got hired by Florida and was able to recruite Mike Miller, Donnel Harvey, and Teddy Dupay in his first two years there.

Sure Kentucky is not as sexylicious as Florida in terms of hot college chicks and weather but I think Billy will continue to get top 5 recruiting classes because the blue chip recruits really just want to get better and prepare themselves for a professional career and Billy has the credential to do that for them.

 

[Whoson1st]

I do NOT see him leaving Fl. unless there are things we don't know.

 

[Buster]

I do NOT see him leaving Fl. unless there are things we don't know.

like a guaranteed 3 nights a week with ashley judd?:bunnies:

 

[FairWarning]

UConn has had a better decade than Kentucky too.

 

[Illini]

Doug Gottlieb agrees with me. If he wasn't leaving, he would say he wasn't leaving. He's just saying he hasn't talked to anyone, so there is nothing to discuss right now.

HE GONE!

 

[Boxslayer]

Doug Gottlieb agrees with me. If he wasn't leaving, he would say he wasn't leaving. He's just saying he hasn't talked to anyone, so there is nothing to discuss right now.

HE GONE!

In an interview with the Gainesville Sun two weeks ago he said,

"It's not appropriate for me to comment on right now. We are in the middle of a title run. I love it at Florida. My wife loves it at Florida, and my kids love it here. As long as they want me back, I want to be here."

Additional factoids to consider:

He has the utmost respect for the Kentucky job, and he isn't trying to big league it. He has said nobody has contacted him about Kentucky, so he cant say much about it. He cant control what rumors the media starts up.

Donovan is a former assitant at Kentucky but admitted the other day that he is "so far removed" from the job. It was a "decade ago".

Donovan has built a church that he is VERY proud of and attached to in the offseason, and has a lot of charitable organizations that he has built from the ground up in Gainesville, and that his wife runs and he donates a lot of money to annually.

Donovan and AD Foley are VERY tight, and Donovan is very grateful to Foley for giving him his big coaching chance. Billy Donovan and Urban Meyer are also very close, in fact Meyer has admitted that his meeting with Donovan was the clincher that sold Meyer to choose Florida over Notre Dame.

If he goes to Kentucky, he is just another coach with ridiculous pressure, where unless he wins 4 titles, he will always be just another coach.

IMO, he has a better chance of going to the Miami Heat, then Kentucky. Hank Goldber gon his talk show radio said Riley and Donovan spent a lot of time together this summer, and Riley has tons of respect for Donovan. The Miami Heat budget can blow the Gators and Wildcats out of the water and presents a new challenge without making Donovan look like a sellout to the school and program that he built.

 

[firemanx]

Billy Donovan will be the coach of the Boston Celtics or Charlotte Bobcats next year.

 

[betedgeonly]

He's gone, money isn't the issue.

What is the issue? Everyone leaves because of the "MONEY". Why would'nt they? Maybe the weed is better in Ky, that would be the only reason for him to leave....:smoking: ...dosn't really make sense does it? j/k But I would stay if I were him. Like wvu [ I think it was him}, he could build his own legend like coach k, wooden, and a few others.

 

[gwienges]

Well us UK fans are right here waiting for him patiently. A person i know at UK told me the offer is up to 4 million a year and they have spoke to his agent this past week. The Grizs are set to offer 5.5 a year. Many feel he wont take it. We shall see.

 

[MrCleo]

i think he will go to the Memphis Grizzlies

 

[gwienges]

Another thing i am growing sick and tired of hearing if he doesnt do this or doesnt do that he will be fired. Its simply untrue. He has been wanted at UK for a few years by the fans. Right there that gives him time. On top of that i know some may have forgot but Tubby had 9 YEARS not 2 not 3 but 9. He hasnt been back to a final 4 since his first year. UK played on first day of SEC tourny the last 2 years for the first times in HISTORY. Tubby hadnt signed a top 50 recruit in 3 years(since Rondos class), and didnt have a top 100 recruit signed this year. I know its easy to say we ran him off but we didnt. He left. Is there pressure yes. This a top basketball school. There is pressure just like at UNC, Indiana, UCLA, Duke. Do you think there fans would let this top of mediocrisy, no ie: Lavin, Doherty, and Davis. Pitino never felt this so called unruly pressure becuase he won, he did his job and won. Got top recruits played an exciting basketball style and kept them in contention. Not winning every year but UK was still relevant. Thats all we ask. We dont need to win every year even though the media has led you to believe thats how we are. What the hell to they really know about UK anyways. OK sorry about my rant but i had to let that out.

 

[glenrobinson]

Miami Heat

 

[MrCleo]

.........and he's staying

 

[Boxslayer]

In an interview with the Gainesville Sun two weeks ago he said,

"It's not appropriate for me to comment on right now. We are in the middle of a title run. I love it at Florida. My wife loves it at Florida, and my kids love it here. As long as they want me back, I want to be here."

Additional factoids to consider:

He has the utmost respect for the Kentucky job, and he isn't trying to big league it. He has said nobody has contacted him about Kentucky, so he cant say much about it. He cant control what rumors the media starts up.

Donovan is a former assitant at Kentucky but admitted the other day that he is "so far removed" from the job. It was a "decade ago".

Donovan has built a church that he is VERY proud of and attached to in the offseason, and has a lot of charitable organizations that he has built from the ground up in Gainesville, and that his wife runs and he donates a lot of money to annually.

Donovan and AD Foley are VERY tight, and Donovan is very grateful to Foley for giving him his big coaching chance. Billy Donovan and Urban Meyer are also very close, in fact Meyer has admitted that his meeting with Donovan was the clincher that sold Meyer to choose Florida over Notre Dame.

If he goes to Kentucky, he is just another coach with ridiculous pressure, where unless he wins 4 titles, he will always be just another coach.

IMO, he has a better chance of going to the Miami Heat, then Kentucky. Hank Goldber gon his talk show radio said Riley and Donovan spent a lot of time together this summer, and Riley has tons of respect for Donovan. The Miami Heat budget can blow the Gators and Wildcats out of the water and presents a new challenge without making Donovan look like a sellout to the school and program that he built.

Gator Basketball will remain elite with the nation's hottest coach.:bunnies: ope:

 

[DaJudge]

<TABLE class=MsoNormalTable style="mso-cellspacing: 1.5pt" cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes"><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">Donovan Says He's Staying at <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1:State w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Florida</st1lace></st1:State> <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
By MARK LONG
AP Sports Writer<o></o>


</TD></TR><TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 1; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes"><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent"><st1:City w:st="on">GAINESVILLE</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">Fla.</st1:State> (AP) -- Coach Billy Donovan will stay at <st1:State w:st="on">Florida</st1:State>, spurning a chance to return to <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Kentucky</st1:State></st1lace> and take over the tradition-rich program.<o></o>

Donovan met with Gators athletic director Jeremy Foley earlier Thursday and agreed to stay at the place he's taken to consecutive national titles.<o></o>

"After finally having an opportunity to sit down with my family, and with Jeremy Foley, I've decided that I will remain at the <st1lace w:st="on"><st1laceType w:st="on">University</st1laceType> of <st1laceName w:st="on">Florida</st1laceName></st1lace>," Donovan said in a statement. "I have great respect for the <st1laceType w:st="on">University</st1laceType> of <st1laceName w:st="on">Kentucky</st1laceName>, its great history and tradition, and I had five wonderful years in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Lexington</st1lace></st1:City>.<o></o>

"That being said, I'm very proud of what we've built here at the <st1lace w:st="on"><st1laceType w:st="on">University</st1laceType> of <st1laceName w:st="on">Florida</st1laceName></st1lace> and I look forward to continuing to build on it."<o></o>
<st1:State w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on"></st1lace></st1:State>
<st1:State w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Florida</st1lace></st1:State> planned a 4 p.m. news conference Thursday to formally announce Donovan's decision. Juniors Corey Brewer, Taurean Green, Al Horford and Joakim Noah also were to be there, announcing whether they are staying in school or turning pro.
<o></o>
Donovan acknowledged interest in the <st1:State w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Kentucky</st1lace></st1:State> job this week, saying he had a lot of admiration for the Wildcats. But he also said he intended to stay in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Gainesville</st1lace></st1:City>.<o></o>

The Gators became the first team to win back-to-back titles since Duke in 1992. But following Monday night's 84-75 victory against <st1laceName w:st="on">Ohio</st1laceName> <st1laceType w:st="on">State</st1laceType>, Donovan's future had become the biggest question mark surrounding <st1:State w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Florida</st1lace></st1:State>.<o></o>

Donovan became the obvious top candidate to replace Tubby Smith, who left last month to take the head job at <st1:State w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Minnesota</st1lace></st1:State>. Donovan was an assistant at <st1:State w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Kentucky</st1lace></st1:State> for five years beginning in 1989.<o></o>

But he spent the last 11 years in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Gainesville</st1lace></st1:City>, putting down roots with his wife and four children. He also turned a mediocre basketball program into a national power - at a place where football used to be king - defying the conventional wisdom held by his mentor, Rick Pitino, his predecessor, Lon Kruger, and dozens of other naysayers around the country.<o></o>

Donovan has two years remaining on his current contract worth $1.7 million annually, but was expected to sign a long-term extension. He has not yet agreed to a new deal with <st1:State w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Florida</st1lace></st1:State>.<o></o>
<st1lace w:st="on"><st1laceType w:st="on"></st1laceType></st1lace>
<st1lace w:st="on"><st1laceType w:st="on">University</st1laceType> of <st1laceName w:st="on">Florida</st1laceName></st1lace> president Bernie Machen and Foley have been working on a new contract for Donovan since last year. Negotiations began during <st1:State w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Florida</st1lace></st1:State>'s 2006 title run, but Donovan postponed signing a deal worth about $2 million because he didn't want to send the wrong message to the players who turned down NBA riches to stay in school.<o></o>

Donovan's next contract could be worth considerably more now.<o></o>
<st1:State w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Kentucky</st1lace></st1:State> received permission to talk to Donovan about its coaching vacancy Wednesday. The coach and Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart met early Thursday morning, and Donovan later told him he intended to stay at <st1:State w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Florida</st1lace></st1:State>.<o></o>

"I had a conversation with Billy Donovan today to gauge any interest he might have in the head coaching position at <st1:State w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Kentucky</st1lace></st1:State>," Barnhart said in a statement. "Billy informed me that he intends to stay in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Gainesville</st1lace></st1:City>. As a former <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">UK</st1lace></st1:country-region> assistant, we wish him the very best.<o></o>

"Obviously, finding the right coach is more important than finding the next coach quickly. Patience remains a priority as we continue to identify the best individual to lead the Big Blue Nation."<o></o>


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