Will Billy Donovan leave the Chicago Bulls for Kentucky Basketball? Three things to consider
Lexington —Should Mitch Barnhart pursue Billy Donovan, or is the third time lucky?
Barnhart, Kentucky’s long-time athletic director, attempted to hire Donovan in 2007, just after the then-Florida coach won the second of two consecutive national titles.Donovan refused the UK’s offer.
Following the dismissal of Billy Gillispie in 2009, Kentucky attempted to recruit Donovan again.He again declined the offer.
In 2015, he eventually departed Gainesville, Florida. He left Kentucky for the NBA, taking over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Donovan, a former UK assistant under Rick Pitino, is currently in his fourth season as the Chicago Bulls’ coach.
Kentucky is seeking for a new coach after John Calipari’s resignation, and Donovan has been mentioned as a possible possibility again.
Here are three reasons why Donovan’s appointment as the UK’s next coach does not make sense:
Billy Donovan is set to prepare for the postseason with the Chicago Bulls.
Billy Donovan is already in his fourth season as the Chicago Bulls’ head coach.
The Bulls currently have a 37-41 season record and face the New York Knicks on Tuesday night. Donovan’s club has secured a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
The play-in games do not begin until next week. If Chicago wins the Play-In Tournament, it will be eligible for the eight-team Eastern Conference playoffs.The first-round playoff series begins on April 20.
Even if the Bulls fail to advance past the first round, their season will not end until late April or early May.
That is clearly too long for the UK to wait before hiring another coach.
Furthermore, it’s absurd to believe Donovan would depart for Kentucky while Chicago is still in the middle of a season.
That is his public position as well.Donovan confirmed to reporters on Tuesday that he has not been contacted by the UK and is loyal to the Bulls.
Billy Donovan hasn’t led a collegiate basketball program for nearly a decade.
This file photo from February 12, 2013, shows then-Florida coach Billy Donovan shaking hands with then-Kentucky coach John Calipari before a game at the O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida.
The transfer gateway.Name, image, and likeness (NIL) transactions. Immediate eligibility following transfer.
Neither of these facts existed in collegiate athletics during Donovan’s final season with the Gators in 2014–15. These realities currently dominate the scene.
Recent developments have led to the retirement of several Hall of Fame coaches, including Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, and Jay Wright.
Donovan was familiar with the college game, which no longer exists.
That is why it is difficult to imagine Donovan returning to the college ranks.
Billy Donovan has already become a legend at another SEC school.
Billy Donovan, head coach of the Florida Gators, holds up the trophy next to Patric Young after his team defeated Kentucky 61-60 to win the SEC Tournament championship on Sunday, March 16, 2014, in Atlanta, Georgia.
Donovan is the most successful SEC coach, second only to Adolph Rupp’s 41-season tenure at Kentucky.
He is the only SEC coach who has won multiple national championships, aside from Rupp. (Rupp scored four with the Wildcats.) Donovan is second to Rupp in SEC wins, with 876 at Kentucky and 467 at Florida.
Donovan’s 200 wins in SEC regular-season games are the third most in league history, trailing Rupp (397) and Dale Brown (238 at LSU).
Donovan also won six conference regular-season championships (2000, 2001, 2007, 2011, 2013 and 2014), four SEC Tournament championships (2005, 2006, 2007, and 2014), four Final Fours (2000, 2006, 2007, and 2014), and three SEC Coach of the Year awards (2011, 2013 and 2014).
And he has another relationship with Rupp.
The Wildcats now play in the building named for him, a testament to his enormous success in Lexington.
Florida’s home facility, the O’Connell Center, does not feature Donovan’s name, although it is mentioned on the floor.In 2020, the school renamed the court in his honor.
Even with his historical ties to Kentucky, it’s difficult to believe Donovan would accept a post that required him to return to Gainesville on a regular basis to face the program he helped build into a national powerhouse.
