One of the worst things about college sports is the way so many of the top programs schedule a bunch of cupcakes for the non-conference portion of their seasons. Conversely, one of the best things is seeing two of the top teams from opposite ends of the squaring off.
Plans for a basketball game between USC and Florida next season were scrapped because a suitable date could not be found by Fox Sports, which wanted to televise the game, according to USC officials. Another road block occurred when Gators coach Billy Donovan quit and returned, which delayed discussions further.
Sports by Brooks thinks USC's reluctance may have more to do with Nick Young and Gabe Pruitt going pro. Whatever the reason, a USC-Florida game would have been one of the early opportunities to see O.J. Mayo against top-notch competition, and the fact that the show won't go on is a big disappointment.
"Al Horford is the total package man. What can't he do?," Noah said of his former roommate. "He can play the high post. He can go down low. He can handle the ball. He plays above the rim. He rebounds. He blocks shots. He scores however you want and he's a team player. ... And I didn't even mention the championships. But he's got those too, a couple of them, in fact. He's a winner. The package man, he's the total package."
Pretty good sales pitch. The article goes on speculate on whether the Atlanta Hawks might take Horford with their third pick in the draft. The catch is that Atlanta has taken five consecutive forwards with their last five 1st round picks, and none have developed into truly productive players.
Just about the only dig one could make about Horford is that he's not Greg Oden. Oden's incredible height, standing reach and athleticism clearly outmatched Horford when the two squared off in the 2007 NCAA Championship Game. Other than that sure-fire number one pick, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone else in this draft who is a better power forward than Al Horford. If the Hawks have a chance to get Horford with their #3 pick, they should take it.
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.
One of the reasons I like ESPN basketball analyst Jay Bilas better than his more famous colleague, Dick Vitale, is that Bilas won't hesitate to say when he thinks a coach is wrong, whereas Vitale seems to think his job is to become best friends with every coach in America.
"Those things happen," Vitale said of Donovan's change of heart. "It's an emotional time for him and his family and everyone involved. The only way it might hurt Billy is if he decides to go the NBA later. The statement he's making is that he's a lifer in college basketball, and college basketball is going to be better off because of it."
While Bilas said this:
"I've never seen anything this unprofessional. Is it going to hurt him? Absolutely. It goes right to the very heart of his ability to make an important decision. There's no question this was an unprofessional way to handle this. There's no reasonable excuse. It's understandable if you can't make up your mind in a certain time frame. To take the step to agree to a contract and be introduced at a press conference and put people through this without having thought this through, there's no excuse."
Is there any doubt who's right? Donovan is a great coach, but he has tarnished his reputation in the last week, and anyone who won't say that isn't much of a college basketball analyst. Kudos to Bilas for having the courage to speak the truth about Donovan, even if it costs him access down the road.
Andy Katz reported on ESPN that Billy Donovan, who left Florida to coach the Orlando Magic last week and is now apparently heading back to Florida, has been on "self-imposed house arrest" since Friday and has not even left his home since he first started having second thoughts about taking the Magic job.
I feel a little sorry for Donovan, envisioning him bunkered down, feeling like a prisoner in his own home. But only a little sorry. After all, he got himself into this mess by signing the contract with the Magic without being sure it was what he wanted to do.
I'm guessing Donovan's lawyer is telling him not to say anything publicly that could be used against him as he tries to negotiate his way out of the Magic contract. That's probably the right legal advice, but Donovan could also use some PR advice. If this drags out much longer without Donovan addressing Florida's fans, he might find that they're nowhere near as enthusiastic about his presence as the Gators' coach as they were a week ago.
The latest news, as of 2:39AM on Monday, has Billy Donovan returning to Florida after a brief 2-day stint as the head coach of the Orlando Magic. From the Orlando Sentinel:
The Orlando Magic today will allow Billy Donovan out of his 5-year, $27.5 million contract that he signed on Friday.
"It's over," said a source close to the situation.
Donovan had reservations about leaving the Florida Gators for the NBA on Friday and spent all weekend trying to find a way to get out of his contract. On Saturday, Orlando Magic General Manager Otis Smith went to Gainesville to try to convince Donovan to honor the deal. Smith talked with Donovan again on Sunday, and so did Magic President Bob Vander Weide.
Unless Donovan wakes up today and changes his mind, the Magic will let him go, the source said.
Gotta like that parting shot from the Magic. Can't say I totally blame them; word is that over 200 season tickets sold immediately after Donovan's hire was announced. People who live in Orlando (I'm one of them) are tired of the Orlando Trajic's travails and many were looking forward to the "Championship Spirit," as the Magic's home page proudly touted, coming to O-Town.
Some will criticize Donovan for his seemingly endless flirtations with anyone and everyone looking to hire him, not to mention his here-again gone-tomorrow act. Now that he's turned down both Kentucky -- a member of the so-called "Blueblood" fraternity of elite college basketball programs -- as well as one of the most lucrative deals ever offered by an NBA franchise to a college coach with almost no NBA experience -- it seems likely that Florida's head coach will not be leaving Gainesville. Maybe whatever soul searching led him to decide to remain at the University of Florida will put an end to Donovan's pseudo-wanderlust.
Expect a whirlwind of announcements early on Monday as life adjusts back to normal for both Florida and Magic fans.
According to two sources close to the situation, the former Florida coach, who accepted the Orlando Magic job on Friday, is attempting to return to Gainesville.
Donovan agreed to a five-year, $27.5 million contract with the Magic late last week, but has approached both sides about getting out of the deal.
According to one source, Donovan was forced to make a rash decision by the Magic management - and he regretted it shortly after agreeing to the contract.
ESPN has also broken into their coverage of the Yankees-Red Sox game, indicating that the Magic is mulling over whether to let him out of his contract.
Now, just how good are these "two sources close to the situation?"
To quote Thom Brennaman from the '07 Fiesta Bowl after Boise State scored on the Hook and Ladder:
Contrary to many predictions, Florida did not hire Anthony Grant as its new basketball coach Saturday. But Grant, currently the coach at Virginia Commonwealth, is Florida's only candidate to replace Billy Donovan, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
The paper also referred to Florida as "a dream job for Grant" and reported that " indications point to a deal that could be finalized quickly."
Given all that, what's the holdup? It may just be that contracts for college coaches are complex documents that take some time to craft. Grant recently got a raise from Virginia Commonwealth that bumps his salary to $400,000, but he'll make much more than that from Florida. The two sides might not make it official until they can dot all the i's and cross all the t's, but there seems to be little doubt in anyone's mind that Grant will be Florida's next coach.
A Cessna Citation 550 registered to the University of Florida Athletic Association landed Saturday morning at Richmond International Airport. It left 45 minutes later, without Virginia Commonwealth University men's basketball coach Anthony Grant aboard. Four men got off the plane, made some phone calls and got back on the plane.
It's entirely possible that this doesn't mean a thing, of course, but there was talk that Grant could become the Gators' coach as soon as this morning, and that didn't happen. The Florida coaching search is the biggest story in college sports today, and it's fascinating to see how every detail gets scrutinized. There will no doubt be more details coming soon.
"It's kind of weird, because he told me he wasn't going anywhere. But things happen, and I'm sure if he does take it it's the best thing he could do for his family."
It's too bad Lucas won't get to play for his chosen coach, but don't feel too sorry for him. Big-time high school athletes understand how the recruiting game is played, and Lucas has the added benefit of having a father, John Lucas, who's a former NBA player and coach. He understood when he signed on the dotted line that he was signing with Florida, not with Donovan.
Andy Katz said on ESPN that athletic director Jeremy Foley is calling Florida's recruits to assure them that the program will be in good hands. There's little doubt that the next coach will be a good one, but it won't be Billy Donovan.
One of the worst things about college sports is the way so many of the top programs schedule a bunch of cupcakes for the non-conference portion of their seasons. Conversely, one of the best things is seeing two of the top teams from opposite ends of the squaring off.
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.
One of the reasons I like ESPN basketball analyst Jay Bilas better than his more famous colleague, Dick Vitale, is that Bilas won't hesitate to say when he thinks a coach is wrong, whereas Vitale seems to think his job is to become best friends with every coach in America.
Andy Katz reported on ESPN that Billy Donovan, who left Florida to coach the Orlando Magic last week and is now apparently heading back to Florida, has been on "self-imposed house arrest" since Friday and has not even left his home since he first started having second thoughts about taking the Magic job.
The latest news, as of 2:39AM on Monday, has Billy Donovan returning to Florida after a brief 2-day stint as the head coach of the Orlando Magic. From the 
Breaking news of potentially earthshaking magnitude on Sunday night.
Contrary to many predictions, Florida did not hire Anthony Grant as its new basketball coach Saturday. But Grant, currently the coach at Virginia Commonwealth, is 
It wasn't even three weeks ago that 
