Billy Donovan is leaving the Florida Gators for the friendly confines of an ultra-talented NBA franchise. That’s great for Donovan, as well as people who view him as an upgrade over Scott Brooks, but only time will tell if that will work out for Oklahoma City.
This leaves Florida in a tough spot. We are well removed from the end of the college basketball season, and most programs have finished with the hiring and firing routine that comes after March. While big names are going to be rumored to take the job, it is a bit late in the coaching search game to expect — without exception — the Gators to get a premiere coach.
Maybe that also means Donovan gets less of a free pass than the time he left Florida to take the Orlando Magic job. Despite taking the job, only to then duck out before it ever really got started, few seemed to put him to task for that series of actions. By leaving Florida again, given the timing of it all, the perception of Donovan may change… or not, because people would much rather rail against less likable coaches than guys who have shown a penchant for handling important decisions in an erratic way.
But he’s not Cal or Pitino, so let’s pretend it wasn’t all kinds of weird.
Enough about Donovan, though: Florida is a pretty alluring gig, and the nation is about to find out how good a job college coaches perceive it to be. Already-rumored names attached to the opening are Archie Miller, Steve Prohm, and Richard Pitino. Other relevant young coaches might find their way into the mix as well.
The rumor mill will be set in full throttle until the Gators land a coach. It shouldn’t be too hard for them to convince someone to take the job, though. Among many of the other things they have to offer as a program:
- Weather (seriously underrated)
- A history
- Money
- Weather
- A relatively fair set of expectations
- Money
- No Will Muschamp
- Good facilities
- Residence in a power conference which isn’t that difficult to navigate
Money is obviously the biggest factor. When you combine that with other luxuries such as good weather, sane expectations from the fan base, and a foundation of success left by Donovan, you can see why this job would be much more appealing than another power conference program which has been a regular cellar dweller for years.
At the same time, don’t be shocked if Florida attempts to think outside the box. No, it won’t go after some obscure Division III coach from the University of Florida A&M State (I hope that’s not a real school). Yet, given some of the rumored coaches who are already turning down other good jobs; are currently settling into place at their present gigs; and likely have their eyes set on specific programs (which can be Florida’s), there does exist the possibility of Florida hiring an assistant from Donovan’s staff, or going with a name not already attached to the program altogether.
Regardless, this is an important period of time for the Florida basketball program. Eyes are watching, waiting, and taking educated guesses as to who will be the next man in charge. A “miss” would obviously hurt the program during that coach’s tenure, partly by adding a dent to public perception of the attractiveness of the job for future coaches. If athletic director Jeremy Foley whiffs here, you’ll see a lot of reactions which can be boiled down to this basic statement: “Florida was only good because Billy Donovan made it so.”
At the same time, however, a “good” hire will result in people viewing Florida more along the lines of a program which can help make the coach, not the other way around, and maintain the history of success Donovan has created. No pressure for the new coach or anything.
Well, all the pressure, really.
Outside of that, especially for those without a rooting interest, it will simply be interesting to view a program being forced to look for a new coach in May. Recruits will likely look to jump ship, players might seek to transfer, and other coaches already have a huge jump on the recruiting trail. The next season for the Gators may end up being a disaster, regardless of whom they bring in.
Will this be a sign of the times? Will NBA playoff-caliber teams fire coaches who have led them to conference finals, in the hopes of poaching top college coaches? Probably not. At least not regularly. However, we are about to find out the ripple effects of it happening this late in the game, even if it is just this one time, for a program of Florida’s stature.
