Anthony Grant Still Calls Billy Donovan a 'Dear Friend'

Virginia Commonwealth coach Anthony Grant would be completely justified if he felt anger toward Florida coach Billy Donovan right now. Donovan's flip-flop on leaving Florida for the Orlando Magic put Grant, as Donovan's presumptive successor, in an incredibly awkward position.

But Grant doesn't seem to mind. He tells Luke Winn of SI.com that he still considers Donovan a "dear friend."

"It was unfortunate that it had to get to that point [of going to the Magic] to realize where [Donovan's] heart was," said Grant. "But if you trace it back, this has been an incredible past 20 months of his life. From taking a team that wasn't ranked in the preseason, to winning 17 games in a row, being ranked No. 1, winning your first national championship, a change in coaching staffs when I left, the juniors coming back, dealing with the pressure of being favorites to repeat, and then actually winning it again -- it was non-stop."

Grant was on his way to the Richmond airport to meet with Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley last weekend for what he thought would be a job interview that would result in an offer. But while he was in the car, he called Donovan, and that's when Donovan told him he was having second thoughts. As soon as Donovan said that, it was clear that Florida's top priority was helping Donovan get out of his contract with the Magic, and Grant and Foley canceled their meeting.

Grant now says he's just excited about Virginia Commonwealth's upcoming season, but Virginia Commonwealth is his second choice, and he's only there because Florida and Donovan were each other's first choices.