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
He made the game easier for the entire team. He really got everyone else involved. Some guys had some really big nights because of his dribble penetration.
Whether or not we're deserving of all this, I don't know, ... I'm just trying to look at the bigger picture of my team.
We're sitting up here as national champions, but I don't necessarily believe we're the best team. In a one-shot deal like this, I've been on both sides. I've been heartbroken, and now we're national champions.
What this goes to show you is that in our league, coming in with a team that was 1-4 against a team that was perceived as being a top team, we were basically manhandled today.
What they've been able to do this year is great for basketball. Most teams don't get a chance to experience what they've been able to experience. In this tournament, they were able to inspire a lot of people. There was no resentment on our team for feeling like they got all the attention or we got slighted.
What they've been able to do this year is great for basketball.
We felt like Darrel Mitchell was the key to their team, so we tried to run at him and trap him as much as we could. When he gets his 18 or 19 points, everything else falls into place.
We're just a basketball team that doesn't have a lot of depth right now. That's our biggest challenge.
We were trying to experiment with some different combinations on the perimeter. In a league game, I probably wouldn't risk that, unless we went to a zone a little bit.
The one thing you've got to do with reading is it's something you've got to do every day. Anything you want to do in life, you've got to practice every day.
We are a different team. I don't know if it's a better or what it is, but it's different and it's different roles.
When you talk about college careers and guys in the Big East, and you put not only their numbers and their stats, but add on top of that the fact that they have won as much as they have won, I think you can throw them in there with any guards that have played in the league.
We're right back to where we were before the season started. We've got to be able to prove ourselves. I think it's very, very evident, we're not a Top 5, Top 10, Top 15 team.
We're right back to where we were before the season started.