NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
This isn’t the first time Billy Donovan’s name has come up when a major college program went looking for a new head coach. He is the man who led Florida to back-to-back national titles in 2006 and 2007, and he’s a logical person for those schools to reach out to, even if Donovan had another job as head coach of the Chicago Bulls. Every time his name came up, Donovan shot them down, and when NBC Sports had a conversation with him several years ago, he denied any desire to ever return to coaching in college.
But things change. When the University of North Carolina moved on from coach Hubert Davis recently, Donovan’s name came up. This time, he didn’t exactly deny interest. Here was his quote, via Tony Jones of The Athletic.
Advertisement
“My main focus is on these guys and this new team. I understand that there’s stuff out there, and I understand that there is going to be certain speculation. But, I have to concentrate on this group, and really, my focus is on what we’re doing here in Chicago, having a game tonight, and traveling to go and play in a back-to-back.”
Compare that to former Butler coach turned Boston Celtics coach and now president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, who instantly removed his name from consideration for the Tar Heels job.
Donovan was a high-level tactician while at Florida, but, more importantly, was a brilliant recruiter — those championship teams had Al Horford, Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer, and a few other future NBA players. That dynamic has changed in college ball, but Donovan is now very used to coaching players who are getting paid. With the Bulls apparently headed for an on-the-fly rebuild, does Chapel Hill look tempting to Donovan?
“Over the years, I’ve had a lot of college guys reach out to talk to me,” Donovan said. “It’s different in dealing with players who are being paid now. I also think the cycle of the NBA today is totally different than the cycle of college. I’m focused on what I have to do right now. Like anything else, things are always changing in the game of basketball.”
Advertisement
Donovan will be the Bulls‘ head coach for a few more weeks while the season plays…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/billy-donovan-doesnt-exactly-deny-161259139.html
Author :
Publish date : 2026-03-26 16:12:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
