Speculative irrelevant question on Billy Donovan

[Kybluedude]

I saw a graying Billy Donovan being interviewed and it gave me 2 questions?

Had CM hired Billy D after Pitino, as the players requested,

1. Would he still be the HC at UK after 20 plus years?
2. How many wins and titles would he have?

I think CM skipped over Billy for several reasons of his own.
Donovan also left Florida for several reasons, one being, football was always going to be king there.

 

[Montana81]

I think Billy was already regretting going back to Florida. Went back to back and still couldn’t consistently sell out a 12k arena. (football always king as you said). I think Cal crushing recruiting at UK with the one and done was the ultimate nail in the coffin. Billy put a lot of time into Karl Towns and Jason Tatum in particular. Saw Cal pull Towns because of one and done and the DR team stuff and Duke pull Tatum from him because of Nike and Team USA.

So not just Cal but where college ball was headed. I used to think there was a chance he’d come back but i doubt it now. There’s no way he’d be willing to deal with NIL.

There was a story years ago about him supposedly walking out of an in home visit because a kid or his parents brought up the NBA.

 

[Montana81]

Guess i didn’t answer your question.

It’s real hard to say on that first one. Like Rick i think his destination was the NBA. But would Rick have cautioned him against that after his experience and ultimate regret of leaving UK? Or would Rick’s ego have struggled with handling the idea of Donovan surpassing his achievements at UK and instead encouraged donovan to leave? Would it have mattered?

I think Donovan would have killed it here and won at least as many titles as he did at Florida and probably more.

 

[AGEE11]

High School Grunge-phase AGEE11 wanted him after Pitino too because my dad thought it was a good idea and I had heard the players did too (probably from dad, but don't remember)

I think he would have won at least 1 title (Tubby did with Pitino's team in 98 Billy D would have too). Most likely got a second one before going to the NBA within 10 years

He "left" Florida twice for the NBA which tells me it was always a goal for him

 

[UKBB4Ever]

Pitino recommended Willard to replace him, not Donovan. CM was hearing none of it. He had decided months before that if Pitino left he was hiring Tubby. CM didn't interview or consider anyone else. He was going to hire a black coach. Nothing wrong with that. But there were several black coaches that deserved a look, if not an interview. Clem Haskins being one. A Ky native that had taken woeful Minnesota to the FF. Maybe CM knew about the problems in Haskins' background that hadn't been made public yet?

None of it mattered. CM was hiring who he wanted.

As for Donovan, I think he would have done very well here. I doubt he wins the title in year one. You need a little luck along the way too. Maybe the same luck doesn't fall on us with a different coach. Maybe we are a different seed and land in a different bracket?

Bit I think Donovan would have won in other years. Do the players that Donovan won with in Fl end up playing for UK?

Things are what they are. You never know. Look at the coaches other SEC schools have hired to try and catch up to UK. Alabama hired a former NBA coach of the year in Avery Johnson. He was going to turn Alabama into the "Duke of the SEC". How did that go?

Miss St hired Howland, a two time FF coach, and he didn't do as well as Williams did there.

I think Donovan would have excelled here. But he could have been another Howland or Johnson too.

 

[GermantownDawg]

Couple of guys that I miss badly in the college game - Billy D and Jay Wright. Sadly believe we’ll see neither again at this level.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Couple of guys that I miss badly in the college game - Billy D and Jay Wright. Sadly believe we’ll see neither again at this level.

Nope. Coaches are bailing in this new era of NIL. Football and basketball alike, it's just to much to deal with, in a sport that's already a chore to handle.

And ESPECIALLY if guys like Bill D can find some success (or pay) at the NBA level.. why the hell would you ever coach at the college ranks again?

Compete against just 29 other teams? No one graduates or transfers out at a given notice? No 18 and 19 year olds? A salary cap to level the playing field? No recruiting? A GM to handle high level stuff? If I was able to make it as an NBA coach, I'd never even think about coaching college again.

 

[UKortho]

Nope. Coaches are bailing in this new era of NIL. Football and basketball alike, it's just to much to deal with, in a sport that's already a chore to handle.

And ESPECIALLY if guys like Bill D can find some success (or pay) at the NBA level.. why the hell would you ever coach at the college ranks again?

Compete against just 29 other teams? No one graduates or transfers out at a given notice? No 18 and 19 year olds? A salary cap to level the playing field? No recruiting? A GM to handle high level stuff? If I was able to make it as an NBA coach, I'd never even think about coaching college again.

I think the college game will evolve where a university can pay players. Multiple year contracts. NIL will just be additional income. In short, a minor league for the NBA. The justice department recently joined in on the suit against the NCAA regarding multiple transfers and sitting out a year. The NCAA is going to lose every lawsuit. Big Z would be playing if we sued earlier. At the least he would have had a court give him an injunction to play. Without contracts we are headed toward a player transferring mid season and playing for another team immediately. Hell, maybe a player will transfer at half time and suit up for the other team for the second half.

 

[H00SIER-Cat]

Bit I think Donovan would have won in other years. Do the players that Donovan won with in Fl end up playing for UK?

Joachim Noah a Wildcat LOL

 

[Boyd94]

Thanks to Tubby and his huge screw up over Corey Brewer.

 

[DreadLox]

I wish college athletics went away completely. Club sports and intramurals. Other countries have structures for interested amateurs all across the entire range of athletics. Colleges should teach not entertain.

 

[Random UK Fan]

I had a Great Dane back during his time here and was walking it over in Hartland park one day. BD had his little boy walking towards me and asked if they could pet the dog. We exchanged niceties and went on our ways. Crazy to think about that moment considering who he went on to be.

 

[KAB Cats]

I wish college athletics went away completely. Club sports and intramurals. Other countries have structures for interested amateurs all across the entire range of athletics. Colleges should teach not entertain.

That's a hot take and on principle you're right that's how it should be. The structure of high level athletic leagues (NCAA & pro) is one of the most incohesive systems we possibly could've created. Euros definitely do that better.

We are far past that though.

 

[Kybluedude]

Thanks to Tubby and his huge screw up over Corey Brewer.

What happened to mess that up?

 

[Montana81]

What happened to mess that up?

Brewer was dying to be a wildcat. Tubby thought he was too much of a tweener and we already had a stacked class and couldn’t take another player because of the 5/8 rule back then. I think it boiled down to we took Ramel Bradley over Brewer.

 

[Ron Mehico]

It’s my understanding Donovan got really sick of the recruiting game.

 

[ukjenning44]

Couple of guys that I miss badly in the college game - Billy D and Jay Wright. Sadly believe we’ll see neither again at this level.

Jay wright says he doesn’t miss it and is done.

Jay Wright on Coaching Again: ‘I’m Done’

Jay Wright won two national titles at Villanova and appeared in 16 NCAA tournaments before unexpectedly retiring in 2022. Most assumed he’d make a comeback, but Wright has shut the door on coaching again

themessenger.com