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“Florida will always be a very special place to me and Billy will always be a very special person in my life,” Grant told reporters in St. Louis.
Foley knows this is not the time of year to launch a massive national search. The coaching carousel spins out of control every year around Final Four time. This year was extraordinarily busy with Tubby Smith moving to Minnesota and setting off a chain of events that included Billy Gillispie taking Smith’s place at Kentucky and Bob Huggins leaving Kansas State for West Virginia.
Florida fans gave a sigh of relief when Donovan, 42, turned down Kentucky. He told them, “I love the University of Florida” and he no doubt meant it. There’s no doubt that Donovan also meant it last August when he said this: “I would love to be here at the University of Florida as long as the administration and Jeremy Foley and the school want me here.”
Foley wanted Donovan to stay and until Thursday it appeared that would happen. Then the Magic dangled a five-year, $27.5 million contract in Donovan’s face and everything changed.
College coaches have rejected NBA offers in the past. The Atlanta Hawks approached Tom Izzo a few years ago but he stayed at Michigan State. Mike Krzyzewski turned down a very attractive offer from the Los Angeles Lakers to remain at Duke.
Others, including John Calipari, Tim Floyd, Leonard Hamilton and Mike Montgomery, left the college game and found they couldn’t win in the NBA. Donovan certainly must have considered the NBA failures of his mentor, Rick Pitino, and former Florida coach Lon Kruger. But those things weren’t enough to sway him to remain in Gainesville.
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Perhaps Donovan sees himself in the Larry Brown mold. Brown is one of the few to win at both levels. Perhaps Donovan simply saw this as the perfect time (Florida does lose its top six scorers, including juniors Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer, Taurean Green and Al Horford) and the perfect place (still in Florida and close to his parents, in-laws and a sister who all have homes in Gainesville).
Donovan’s departure is bad for Foley, bad for Florida and bad for college basketball. But it was his decision. He had to do what was right for himself and his family. Only time will tell if he made the right call. If it turns out wrong, he’s young enough to return to the college game and he has already conquered that arena.
Chances are a guy with two NCAA championship rings wouldn’t have any trouble finding a job, regardless of how things work out in Orlando.
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