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
I've been here 10 years and its a special place, an opportunity as great as any in college basketball. But tonight is not about me. It's about these young men.
It hasn't been just this game. It's been all year long. These guys stay focused. It's been a unique and special group.
I am happy I can be a part of the first-ever national championship. I am fortunate to coach an unbelievable group of guys. We appreciate your support and love and are happy to be part of a special university.
It's been a unique and special group of kids. What's been special about this group is that they've played the same way all season, from back in November when we played in New York City to now.
It's a totally different team. This one is special because these kids have shown a level of selflessness and play the way the game should be played. They look out for each other. They care for each other. That shows on the court.
They have a chance to be special this year, ... They should be, without question, one of the top five teams in the country.
This is a very, very special place. Being part of this institution means something. We have the greatest student body in the United States of America.
He has the ability to take difficult shots one, to get them off and two, to be able to make them at a high percentage. He has a special gift and there is nothing you can do about it.
We tried to make them score outside their offense. We gave up 10 offensive rebounds in the first half, but in the second half I felt like their frontcourt was fatigued.
We just recently had a function where we had to go into the student assistance fund to get players some clothes. Some of our kids come from backgrounds where getting a suit on short notice is difficult.
We just wanted to continually attack and mix up our defenses.
We just tried to continue to attack and mix up our defenses. I told our guys this game would come down to the same things we've been doing all year - unselfishness, making the extra pass and being able to defend and rebound.
We weren't good enough. We weren't built to make a deep run in the tournament.
We were playing for survival. I felt fortunate just going into the locker room being tied at halftime.