Donovan introduced as Thunder coach, as Gators work to move on
Friday, May 1, 2015 | Men's Basketball, Football, Chris Harry
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Whether watching on ESPN2 or on live stream via NBA.com, the end of one Billy Donovan era and the start of another became a striking reality Friday when the iconic Florida basketball coach stepped to a podium halfway across the country and spoke for the first time as head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
With his family seated in the front row and former MVP Kevin Durant huddled with teammates in the back of the room, Donovan touched on some familiar themes -- culture, process, commitment -- as he took his first steps into the altogether different world of professional basketball.
“Anytime you walk into the unknown there's going to be a level of uncertainty. I'm OK with that,” Donovan told a packed news conference with Thunder general manager Sam Presti, the man who lured him from UF after 19 seasons with a five-year, $30 million contract, at his side. “I'm starting over. Outside of spending a lot of time with Sam, I'm just meeting people for the first time. I have a lot of people I have to impact and I'm really excited about that. I'm excited to put players in position on the court to help them be successful.”
Back in Gainesville, some people Donovan impacted -- and loves dearly -- watched the broadcast. Florida, for now, does not have a basketball coach, but remaing assistant coaches John Pelphrey and Rashon Burno, along with the basketball support staff, are not sitting around lamenting the loss of their boss.
On Thursday, with Donovan's move to the Thunder official, UF athletic director Jeremy Foley came to the basketball office for a meeting. He explained to the staff that the emotions of this very sad development would pass and encouraged them to press forward with their jobs; most importantly, to reach out to players, parents, incoming freshmen and recruits, keep them apprised of the situation, and tell them not to pay attention to rumors.
Foley always has a standing list for potential coaching replacements, but he and executive associate AD Mike Hill, the senior administrator who oversees men's basketball, foresaw the NBA making a run at Donovan this offseason and have been in fact-finding mode (just in case) for weeks now.
Foley will have a news conference next week to address the Gators' vacancy. Ideally, it will come in conjunction with one last media opportunity with Donovan before he bolts for OKC for good.
Donovan did well at his intro presser Friday. When asked why he didn't recruit Durant, the 2014 NBA Most Valuable Player, to the Gators, he deadpanned, “We probably didn't think he was good enough.” About his lack of experience with the NBA, he shot back, “I've been an NBA coach before ... for a day.”
That, of course, was a reference to 2007 when after winning a second straight NCAA championship he took the job as head coach of the Orlando Magic, had two press conferences (one in Orlando, one in Gainesville), only to change his mind, back out of the job and return to Florida 72 hours later.
But Donovan explained those circumstances had more to do with him than the Magic. He was haunted by buyer's remorse that he still had unfinished business at Florida.
In taking the Thunder job, though, Donovan left knowing he'd put his heart and soul into the Gators -- 467 victories, six Southeastern Conference, 14 NCAA Tournament berths and those two national championships worth -- and taken the program as far as he believed he could.
“Today is not about me. Today is about the team and organization,” Donovan said on a day, with all due respect, that was very much about him. “I'm excited about learning and growing. That's important to me. ... No question, there's going to be a transition period. I anticipate that. I'll have great people around me to work through any roadblocks.”
Nearly four days of interviews made Presti a Donovan believer. Not that he didn't foresee this coming. The OKC exec was a frequent visitor to UF the last few seasons and very likely was doing groundwork for this opportunity.
“This is a naturally and intrinsically driven individual,” Presti said of Donovan. “He is naturally curious. He is a person who has great emotional intelligence and awareness. He has relentless work ethic and someone we feel is a great fit for not just our environment, but also a great fit for the community of Oklahoma City because of how he conducts his business; the way his teams perform.”
