Former Florida coach Billy Donovan became head coach of Oklahoma City on April 30. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
It was never overt, but the feeling just always seemed to be there.
Billy Donovan was still coach of the Florida Gators after their season ended in mid-March, but individuals within the program quickly began to feel as if it was his last.
“He never came out and said ‘I’m going to the NBA,'” Donovan’s former player, Michael Frazier, said. “But everybody had that feeling. It was just that air in the gym, that air in the facility and the locker room that coach might be leaving.”
Their hunch was right.
On April 30, Donovan agreed to a contract to coach the Oklahoma City Thunder, leaving the Gators where he’d coached for 19 years, winning two national titles and appearing in four Final Fours.
Frazier has no doubt Donovan will be successful at the pro level.
“He’s a competitor, he’s a winner,” Frazier said. “I feel like he’s going to do whatever it takes to win at that level. His situation is similar to mine. That’s something that he’s wanted to do, and he’s accomplished a lot on the college level. What more can he do as a college coach? He’s been to multiple Final Fours, won multiple championships. Some coaches go a whole career without winning one championship, without going to the tournament. That was something he did almost every year he was there. I think he’s going to be very successful at this level.”
Follow Chris Dempsey on Twitter @dempseypost or email him at cdempsey@denverpost.com
