Billy Donovan

Billy Donovan

William John "Billy" Donovan, Jr. (born May 30, 1965) is an American college basketball coach and former college and professional basketball player. Donovan is the current head coach of the Florida Gators. On March 29, 2011, NC State fans got delusional and actually thought he'd go to Raleigh. Meanwhile, he was laughing so hard in Gainesville that he was in tears. He is best known for leading the Florida Gators to two consecutive national championships.

Donovan has coached the Gators in three NCAA championship game appearances in 2000, 2006 and 2007. The Gators lost to the Michigan State Spartans in the 2000 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball final. The Gators won the national championship in 2006 with a 73–57 win over the UCLA and again in 2007 with an 84–75 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes, making Donovan the first coach since Mike Krzyzewski to win back-to-back NCAA titles. He is one of only four men (Dean Smith, Joe B. Hall and Bobby Knight being the others) to appear in the NCAA Final Four as a player and win the national championship as a coach.

After a brief stint as head coach of the Orlando Magic that lasted only five days, Donovan re-signed with the Gators on June 7, 2007, to a deal that made him the highest-paid head coach in college basketball, at $3.5 million per year.

Playing career

Donovan was born and raised in Rockville Centre on Long Island, New York. He is the son of Bill Donovan, Sr., the third leading scorer in Boston College men's basketball history. Donovan graduated from St. Agnes Cathedral High School — a local powerhouse where he was coached by the legendary Frank Morris — in 1983 before going on to Providence College, where he played guard on the basketball team. His first two seasons with the Friars were unimpressive; he scored an average of two points per game as a freshman and three points as a sophomore. His junior year, however, Donovan flourished in the system of new head coach Rick Pitino. "Billy the Kid," as Providence fans soon nicknamed him (after the 19th century outlaw), averaged 15.1 points as a junior and 20.6 as a senior, when he led the Friars to the Final Four and earned the Southeast Regional Most Valuable Player honors.

Donovan was drafted by the Utah Jazz in the third round (68th overall) of the 1987 NBA Draft. He was waived after the preseason and played briefly for the Wyoming Wildcatters of the Continental Basketball Association. He then signed a one-year contract with the New York Knicks, coached by Pitino. Donovan averaged 2.4 points and 2.0 assists over 44 games.

Coaching career

After an unsuccessful year playing for Pitino on the New York Knicks, Donovan worked for a Wall Street investment firm before joining Pitino as an assistant coach at the University of Kentucky in 1989. His success there secured him the head coaching job at Marshall University.

Marshall University

Donovan's first season as a head coach saw him turn around a Marshall team that had gone 9-18 the season before his arrival. The team doubled its wins from the previous year to go 18-9 and win the Southern Conference North Division.

His first full recruiting class at Marshall included a high-profile local recruit, point guard Jason Williams. In Donovan's second season, the team went 17-11, led the conference in scoring and three-point field goals.

In two years at Marshall, he accumulated a 35–20 record and a conference division championship.

University of Florida (1996–2007)

In 1996 Donovan took over head coaching duties at Florida, whose men's basketball team had fallen startlingly far from its 1994 Final Four appearance. Donovan took the team to the National Invitation Tournament in his second season, 1997–1998. The following season saw the team make its third ever Sweet Sixteen appearance and become only the second squad in school history to appear in the final Top 25 polls (17th in the ESPN/USA Today Poll and 23rd in the Associated Press Poll).

The next season, 1999–2000, saw Donovan lead the Gators to an SEC Championship and their second Final Four appearance, defeating North Carolina in the national semi-finals before falling to Michigan State in the championship game.

The Gators again won the SEC regular season championship during 2000-2001 season.

The team reached the NCAA Tournament in every season between 1999–2007, a streak of nine straight appearances; in eight decades of Florida men's basketball prior to Donovan's arrival, the school had never reached the Tournament more than three years running. On February 3, 2003, the team achieved a No. 1 ranking in the ESPN/USA Today poll for the first time in school history, returning there the following season on December 8, 2003.

The 2004-2005 season was highlighted by Florida defeating Kentucky 70-53 to win the SEC Tournament Championship, a first for the Gators.

In the 2005–2006 season, Donovan's young Gator squad posted the school's best-ever win streak to start a single season, reeling off 17 straight wins and reaching #2 in the nation in the AP Poll. However, the team failed to reach the top spot as it lost its first SEC game of the season to the Tennessee Volunteers. This win was followed by a surprising season sweep at the hands of the eventual 2006 National Invitation Tournament Champion South Carolina Gamecocks. Florida avenged those losses by ending South Carolina's surprising SEC Tournament run in the finals, winning the SEC Tournament Championship. The 2005–2006 season was the most successful in the history of both Donovan and Florida basketball, as the Gators defeated UCLA 73–57 in the NCAA championship game, winning the school's first NCAA title.

On December 20, 2006, Donovan became the winningest basketball coach in Florida history, earning his 236th win as Florida's coach in a romp over Stetson and surpassing Norm Sloan's 235 wins. During the 2006-2007 season, with the return of all his starting five from the 2005-06 team (Lee Humphrey, Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer, and Taurean Green), the Gators pulled off a championship trifecta by winning the Southeastern Conference regular season title, SEC Tournament title, and their second straight NCAA Tournament.

With the return of the entire 2006 championship team, the Gators instantly were named preseason favorites to repeat by many media pundits. The Gators raced out of the gates, losing just two non-conference ballgames (vs. Kansas and at Florida State). The 2007 Gators looked even more mature in terms of their unselfishness, passing and shooting abilities and overall team play. Although the Gators sputtered down the stretch during SEC play, losing three of four games started by a loss at Vanderbilt, the team rebounded with their sixth consecutive win over their arch-rivals, the Kentucky Wildcats to regain momentum. The Gators went on to win the SEC Tournament once again with dominating performances, culminating in a win over the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Florida earned the number one overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and defeated Jackson State, Purdue, Butler and Oregon to reach the Final Four. In a rematch of the 2006 title game against UCLA, Donovan's Gators prevailed 76–66. The Gators secured their repeat championship two nights later with an emphatic 84–75 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes, coached by Thad Matta. Just three months prior, the Gator football team had defeated the Buckeyes in the BCS Championship Game.

Short-lived Orlando Magic stint

During Florida's second title run it was rumored that Donovan may accept a deal from the University of Kentucky. After winning the National Championship, Donovan declined and said he wanted to work out an extension to stay at Florida. However, in late May, Donovan was offered the Orlando Magic head coaching job. On May 31, 2007, Donovan accepted the head coaching position for the NBA's Orlando Magic in a deal reported to be worth $27.5 million over five years, and announced his acceptance of the head coaching job on June 1, 2007. Donovan replaced Brian Hill, who was fired after two consecutive losing seasons. Hill's ouster followed the Magic's first playoff appearance in four years, which ended in the first round against Detroit. Donovan signed the contract June 1, officially making him Magic head coach. Florida then contacted Anthony Grant (who at the time was the head coach at Virginia Commonwealth University and former assistant head coach under Donovan) to offer him the job.

But, on the morning of June 2, 2007, Donovan informed the Magic and the Gators that he was having second thoughts about leaving the University of Florida. On June 6, the Magic came to an agreement with Donovan to release him from his contract, leaving him free to rejoin the Gators basketball team. As a stipulation of his release, he reportedly agreed not to coach in the NBA for the following five seasons.

University of Florida (2007–present)

After announcing his return to Gainesville, Donovan signed the top-ranked 2007 recruiting class, as rated by Rivals.com.

Despite the loss of all five starters from the previous year, the Gators surprised many pundits with Donovan's tenth straight twenty-win season. However, after an 18–3 start, the team struggled during the final third of the season, winning just three of its last eleven games and snapping the Gators' nine-year streak of NCAA Tournament invitations. The young Gator team rebounded to reach the 2008 NIT semifinals, where they were defeated by UMass.

The 2008–09 team started out the season ranked 19th and started out 5–0 before falling to Syracuse. A loss two weeks later to Florida State knocked the Gators out of the top twenty-five ranked teams. Though the team won twenty-two regular season games, it once again was not enough to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament. However, the Gators were given a number one seed in the 2009 NIT, where they lost to Penn State in the quarterfinals.

The Gators returned to the NCAA tournament during the 2009–2010 season, but lost in the first round to BYU in double overtime. During the year, Florida defeated Florida State, ending a three game losing streak to the Seminoles. They also defeated Michigan State, a preseason favorite to win the NCAA tournament and an eventual Final Four team, en route to winning the 2009 Legends Classic tournament.

On March 8, 2011, Donovan was named the 2011 SEC Coach of the Year. Despite appearing in three national title games and winning two national titles, it was Donovan's first time winning the award.

Coaching protégés

Several of Donovan's assistants have become college head coaches in recent years. Two of Donovan's former assistants currently serve as head coaches with Donovan in the Southeastern Conference. The following head coaches all spent time under Donovan at Florida:

• Anthony Grant, currently at University of Alabama
• Donnie Jones, currently at University of Central Florida
• John Pelphrey, formerly with the University of Arkansas
• Shaka Smart, currently at Virginia Commonwealth University

Notable players coached

• Jason Williams (7th pick, 1998 NBA Draft)
• Mike Miller (5th pick, 2000 NBA Draft)
• David Lee (30th pick, 2005 NBA Draft)
• Al Horford (3rd pick, 2007 NBA Draft)
• Corey Brewer (7th pick, 2007 NBA Draft)
• Joakim Noah (9th pick, 2007 NBA Draft)
• Marreese Speights (18th pick, 2008 NBA Draft)
• Udonis Haslem
• Matt Bonner

Awards

In 2006 the United States Sports Academy awarded Donovan the Amos Alonzo Stagg Coaching Award. Donovan was the recipient of the John R. Wooden Award's "Legends of Coaching Award" in 2010. Donovan won the award for 2011 SEC Coach of the Year.

Personal life

Donovan married his wife, Christine, in 1990. The Donovans have four children: William III, Hasbrouck, Bryan, and Connor. Donovan is a devout Roman Catholic.

He has been described as conservative by some of his players and in the media. However, he is a registered independent.

Philanthropy

On October 2008, coach Billy Donovan and head University of Florida football coach Urban Meyer were named co-chairmen of an effort to raise $50 million to support the Florida Opportunity Scholars Program.

This scholarship was designed for first-generation students that have unique needs and financial challenges. The Florida Opportunity Scholars Program was created by President Bernie Machen in 2006, and is intended to increase the opportunities for academically prepared first-generation students.

Head coaching record

Statistics overview

Season	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Marshall Thundering Herd (Southern Conference) (1994–1996)
1994–1995	Marshall	18–9	10–4	1st (North)
1995–1996	Marshall	17–11	8–6	3rd (North)
Marshall:		35–20	18–10
Florida Gators (Southeastern Conference) (1996–Current)
1996–1997	Florida	13–17	5–11	5th (East)
1997–1998	Florida	14–15	6–10	6th (East)	NIT 1st Round
1998–1999	Florida	22–9	10–6	3rd (East)	NCAA Sweet Sixteen
1999–2000	Florida	29–8	12–4	T–1st (East)	NCAA Runner-Up
2000–2001	Florida	24–7	12–4	T–1st (East)	NCAA 2nd Round
2001–2002	Florida	22–9	10–6	T–1st (East)	NCAA 1st Round
2002–2003	Florida	25–8	12–4	2nd (East)	NCAA 2nd Round
2003–2004	Florida	20–11	9–7	2nd (East)	NCAA 1st Round
2004–2005	Florida	24–8	12–4	2nd (East)	NCAA 2nd Round
2005–2006	Florida	33–6	10–6	2nd (East)	NCAA Champions
2006–2007	Florida	35–5	13–3	1st (East)	NCAA Champions
2007–2008	Florida	24–12	8–8	4th (East)	NIT Semifinals
2008–2009	Florida	25–11	9–7	3rd (East)	NIT Quarterfinals
2009–2010	Florida	21–13	9–7	4th (East)	NCAA 1st Round
2010–2011	Florida	29–8	13–3	1st (East)	NCAA Elite Eight
Florida:		360–147	152–91
Total:		395–167
National champion         Postseason invitational champion         Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion       Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion       Conference tournament champion

See also

• Florida Gators
• History of the University of Florida
• List of Providence College people
• Marshall Thundering Herd
• Providence Friars
• University Athletic Association

External links

• Billy Donovan's website at the University of Florida athletics site
• Video interview with Donovan at a May 2008 pediatric cancer research benefit hosted by Dick Vitale