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
This is going to be the most time that we have had off to get ready for an opponent since December. I am hopeful that during that time that we can continue to improve and turn the focus on ourselves.
This is a one-time thing where he got lost. Let's help him find himself.
This is not about me. If we are fortunate enough to win tomorrow night, it's over. Tuesday morning, it's gone, on to the next thing.
This group of kids is living in the moment and living for today.
This game was all about the 3-point line and our inability to guard it.
This game was all about the 3-point line and our ability to guard it. They made very, very timely 3-point shots. ... The great equalizer in college basketball is the 3-point line. It's the No. 1 stat I look at.
This could have been a game where he could have taken it easily 15 to 20 shots. He turned down so many shots it was incredible.
This could have been a game where he could have gone 8 for 11. He just didn't have one of those nights.
Quite honestly, I'm not concerned about that. I'm more worried about making sure that this team understands what's a good shot, what's a bad shot, going into the season.
Probably what changed my mind more so than anything else was when I met with (Florida athletic director) Jeremy Foley. In that meeting, it was very, very clear that he understood where things were at, and he understood what needed to happen to try to turn the program.
Our faculty rep said to me before the game that when you start with something from scratch and you build it up to win a championship, that's something special.
Our faculty rep said before the game that the greatest thing is to build something from scratch. This is a huge milestone.
On TV, it looks great ... but it's really a scary environment on the floor. The other thing it does is it takes away from what a great win Florida State had. They shouldn't (have to) be addressing their lack of security or whatever. ... They should be talking about how great their kids played and what a great win it was for their program.
Offensively, pretty much the entire game, I thought we played very well. But we played an exceptional half defensively in the second half. We were just fair at best in the first half.