Billy Donovan and UK...

[traderumor]

I think UCLA started this rumor since Florida has been teetering mentally all year. This type of stuff will surely set them over the edge...and watching Noah lose will be oh, so sweet.

[Slyder]

Originally Posted by traderumor

I think UCLA started this rumor since Florida has been teetering mentally all year. This type of stuff will surely set them over the edge...and watching Noah lose will be oh, so sweet.

Didnt affect WVU with all the stuff leading up to the Gator Bowl .

[Razor Shines]

Originally Posted by jmac

This last week....the headlines in the Fla paper was on spring "football" practice with no mention on front page of the NCAA.

He will always be second fiddle to football there.
Also they had one sellout...guess who it was against?

Well I guess that would be a good reason to leave, I had no idea they only had one sellout this year. I don't really follow either team.

[macro]

Originally Posted by Slyder

We could play this game all night long if we wanted.

His children are High School and Junior High (I heard on the news) I doubt they would be too thrilled leaving the people theyve known probably their entire lives, along with all their friends .

Honestly though prediction time:
Donovan "listens to" Kentucky (Insert youre own definition of listens to).
Donovan goes the UF's AD and says "I want A, B, C, D... or I'm going to Kentucky."
UF's AD blinks a couple times says "You are Guru, here you go"
UF sings kombaya.

True enough, and your prediction certainly is a possibility. After all, if Donovan flat out said he wasn't going anywhere, he would ruin any chance at a big raise from Florida.

[jmac]

Originally Posted by Slyder

We could play this game all night long if we wanted.

His children are High School and Junior High (I heard on the news) I doubt they would be too thrilled leaving the people theyve known probably their entire lives, along with all their friends .

Honestly though prediction time:
Donovan "listens to" Kentucky (Insert youre own definition of listens to).
Donovan goes the UF's AD and says "I want A, B, C, D... or I'm going to Kentucky."
UF's AD blinks a couple times says "You are Guru, here you go"
UF sings kombaya.

Or he says " hey guys...I am going to KY" and then Katz and Vitale say " boy this crow taste yummy" after 2 bites.

which will it be ? we shall see.

[Jpup]

I don't really have a dog in the fight, but let's face it, it's Kentucky. There isn't anywhere in the world that college basketball is bigger than in Kentucky. It's bigger than anything Florida could ever offer him. Generally, what KY boosters want, they get.

I would be shocked if Billy Donovan is not the next basketball coach at UK. Other than North Carolina, it's the best job in the world for a basketball coach. His buddy Pitino is just right down the road as well. Billy Donovan was crowned the next coach the minute Tubby Smith was hired. I also don't think Florida could match blank checks with Kentucky.

[dabvu2498]

Originally Posted by Razor Shines

Well I guess that would be a good reason to leave, I had no idea they only had one sellout this year. I don't really follow either team.

They only had one non-conference sell-out (vs. Ohio State).

I'm not going to go through all their box scores, but I would hazard a guess that they sold out at least the UK and UT games in the conference.

[Joseph]

Originally Posted by dabvu2498

They only had one non-conference sell-out (vs. Ohio State).

I'm not going to go through all their box scores, but I would hazard a guess that they sold out at least the UK and UT games in the conference.

Thats correct, it was only one non-conference sell out.

And to regurgitate a line I just heard on the radio, UK would get 25,000 for a lay up drill.

That, my friends, is the difference in Florida and UK. He can stay at Florida and be a good coach and even make some Final Fours and win some SEC titles and go down in history as a decent coach.

Or he can go to UK and do the same and be a demi-god.

Much like all other sports are just the offseason for us Reds fans, basketball at Florida is just a time passer until spring practices start again.

[macro]

I mentioned this earlier, but if I heard the guy on WHAS-84 in Louisville correctly last night, they sold out eight of 18 home dates in their 12,000-seat arena.

To follow up on what Joseph said, he's been there over ten years, won the title last year, and is in line to win another this year. If they didn't show up this year, then when are they going to show up?

[dabvu2498]

Originally Posted by Joseph

And to regurgitate a line I just heard on the radio, UK would get 25,000 for a lay up drill.

But they only got 20,444 for their opening game vs. Miami.

For the record, UK only had 2 non conference sell outs: UMass and IU.

[Joseph]

My reference is for a coach the fans believe in. UK is all about winning basketball. I don't mean to twist that into a fair weather fan situation, because it's not at all. They had grown weary of Tubby ball and it showed in the attendance this year, but if they'd been coming off the same situation as Florida, you wouldn't be able to get a seat in Rupp. That's what I'm getting at Florida couldn't sell out the 12,000 seat O'Connel Center, and UK was in a 'bad mood' as fans and still routinely brought in 20,000 plus.

[Sweetstop]

I was at all the conference games, and the bigger non-conference games at Rupp this season, and, believe me, it was pretty much stuffed. Maybe not as loud as usual, but people came, unhappy or not, as per usual. I don't know the figures for the throwaway non-conference games, but I'll bet at least 20,000.

[IslandRed]

I've always subscribed to the theory that the biggest stars end up on the biggest stages. I can't think of any really good examples offhand of a truly A-list hoops coach who stayed at a football school forever. Eventually, they end up at a basketball school. Or in the NBA.

Florida is loving their hoops right now, no doubt. But I lived there for quite awhile, and lived in Kentucky too, so I have some frame of reference of comparison. UF fans, on the whole, do not need to be good at basketball the way they do at football, or like UK needs to be good at basketball. That cuts two ways. Donovan can win at Florida without the pressure or the unreasonable expectations. But pressure and expectations are the natural byproduct of people genuinely caring. One cannot simultaneously argue that Florida is a much less pressure-filled job but that he's just as big a deal there as he would be in Kentucky. So it comes down to what Donovan wants. Some people want the white-hot spotlight and some people don't.

[Joseph]

Does anyone think there is a fear of let down that might drive a guy like Billy to UK? What I mean is does the fear of losing the string of success he has going at Florida drive him to UK where he now has a couple years buffer to turn things around? Could the pressure to continue be something that would push him to take the UK job?

Just thinking out loud here.

[jmac]

Originally Posted by macro

I mentioned this earlier, but if I heard the guy on WHAS-84 in Louisville correctly last night, they sold out eight of 18 home dates in their 12,000-seat arena.

To follow up on what Joseph said, he's been there over ten years, won the title last year, and is in line to win another this year. If they didn't show up this year, then when are they going to show up?

I just heard on whas tonight that Fla took only 500 fans to Sec tournament.
I knew they didnt take many but that is ridiculous.
Also the guy was really giving it to Katz good
Apparently he was on this morning saying there is no way BD is even thinking about Ky right now.
the host said Katz is basically crazy to think BD doesnt "think" about it whether it's during the day or a night in the bed.The host also said anyone can do 2 things like that at one time......prepare for Fla ,while if even in your mind only thinking about the ky job.
If BD takes it...I would appreciate any Ky fan posting any article,link, etc of Andy Katz admitting he was wrong or taking a bite of crow.
I mean think of the petrino's and sabin's of the world and how they say one thing and do the opposite while BD is leaving his options open yet Mr Katz "knows" what is gonna happen !