With UKKK's basketball job opening up, rumors are swirling that Florida's Billy Donovan is the favorite for the gig. Kentucky is smart to go after him [or wait to go after him] since he is a guy that has done great things already and would unite a fragmented Wildcat Nation.
But why, really, would Donovan leave?
As the Florida head coach, he's a god there. He's their Dean Smith, their Coach K, their Bobby Knight, their John Wooden. He took a decent program at a football school in a football conference and taken them to a few Final Fours and a National Championship. And he did so by passing Kentucky in the fast lane.
At Kentucky, Donovan will still be great ... but just another in a line of greats. Not that it totally matters. It may not bother him, but the pressure to perform is greater in Lexington and what he did at Florida won't carry over.
As a UNC fan, I know this whole deal. When our job opened because the controversial coach we had was ran off, we believed that Roy Williams was going to take it. After all, he was a big time coach at a big time school who used to be here at one time. Roy took a Kansas team to the championship game ... then left for Chapel Hill as his stars left for the NBA. Sound familiar???
And Roy turned it around and won a National Championship in just his 2nd season in Carolina. What a way to celebrate!! Of course, Tubby Smith won a title in his first season at Kentucky ... yet the shine from that trophy has all but been extinguished. My point is that Donovan would have to get Kentucky back in a hurry. He can do that ... and he better do that.
If I was him, I'd use the leverage to milk some more money out of the Gator athletic department and stay put. Your mark is on Florida hoops and you are entering elite heights right now.
No comments:
Post a Comment