Billy Donovan
Billy Donovan
William John Donovan, Jr.is an American professional basketball coach who is currently the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association. He previously spent 19 seasons at the University of Florida, where his Florida Gators men's basketball teams won two NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championships in 2006 and 2007. Donovan has more wins than any other coach in the history of the Florida basketball program, and he coached the Gators to more NCAA tournament appearances,...
ProfessionCoach
Date of Birth30 May 1965
CityRockville Centre, NY
During the tournament, it seems like all the games are like this. We're very, very fortunate to win. It could've gone either way.
The big focus for us was the three-point line. I think we were able to hold them without a three-point shot for the first 35 minutes. We shot 34 percent in the first half, but the fact that we shot 40 percent from three-point line in the first half gave us a five-point lead.
The big focus for us was the 3-point line.
The best way to describe this team is we have a very good motor, ... We have high-energy people. We have a lot of youthful enthusiasm.
Not the 16 and 16 necessarily, but I knew he was going to bring it.
It's a new day, a new season, a new opportunity for both basketball teams.
It's an area he's invested a lot of time in. It would have been very difficult for us (Wednesday night) had he gone 12-for-22 from the line, or 10-for-22 from the line.
As a basketball team you have to go through it. They need it. The game came down to our inexperience on the basketball court to their experience.
Auburn is a very difficult team to play against, because they take so many threes. When they make them like they did - and I thought they made some awful difficult shots - they're going to hang around and play with anybody.
That's what we're trying to build here at Florida. That's what we're trying to create. It has to start somewhere.
That takes a kid with unbelievable character. It takes a kid who cares about the team, a kid who wants to win.
That's just what they want to do. I think they're having a lot of fun; I think they're different types of kids. They're not prepared to make the next step right now. They want to be here, they want to play, they want to be together was a group. They want to stay to play together as a team.
That's generally a recipe for disaster, but because we defended the 3-point line that gave us an opportunity.
Did I think I would be here for 10 years? You never know. You almost have to go one year at a time and try to do the very best job you can. . . . It's very hard to stay at a place a very, very long period of time.