Billy Donovan to Orlando

gucci888 · May 31, 2007

Donovan taking big-money deal to coach Magic

Billy Donovan will be named the head coach of the Orlando Magic on Friday, several sources have told ESPN.

The announcement is scheduled to be made at 11 a.m. ET, sources told ESPN.com's Pat Forde.

Thursday, after weeks of waiting for the University of Florida to finalize his new seven-year contract, the Magic offered Donovan a big-money deal. Sources say the deal is shorter and smaller than original reports of a six-year, $36 million deal. The Associated Press said the deal is a five-year, $27.5 million contract.

"We're not worried about hiring a college coach -- not this college coach," a source told Forde. "He's proven he's won. He's young and he works well with a young team. This team is one step above a college team right now, it's so young. They're just learning how to play together, and someone like Billy will be perfect.

"I also don't think this job is as bad as some of the others that college coaches have walked into. It's not like he's inheriting a bad team, and that's usually the case for a college guy making the transition. The hardest part was for Billy. It was a tough decision for him because of everything that's happened at Florida, because of what he's built there. He was happy there."

The source said that Donovan will have no front-office responsibilities. "He's just the coach," the source said.

Donovan will fly into Orlando for the 11 a.m. news conference Friday and then immediately return to Gainesville to meet with the Gators' media on a chartered flight.

After leading the Gators to the last two national championships, the 42-year-old Donovan recieved a big-money offer Thursday afternoon. Team officials told the Orlando Sentinel, which first reported the story on its Web site, that Donovan was expected to take the job earlier in the afternoon.

The sources added the Magic job has been the toughest decision he's had to make, much more so than any early offer from Memphis and even more so than Kentucky's contract offer. The part that makes the offer potentially palatable was that it is close enough to his Gainsville home that could it make it a smooth transition. Donovan's parents, in-laws and sister all have a home in Gainsville and the sources said that if there was a job that he would seriously consider it would be the Magic because of the proximity to his family.

When the offer went public, multiple sources said Donovan had to make a quicker decision. Florida to act quickly and possibly stay within the family with former Florida assistant Anthony Grant, who led VCU to the NCAA Tournament second round in his first season with the Rams. VCU beat Duke in the first round.

"Billy Donovan has been here 11 years and has won two national championships," Florida president Dr. J. Bernard Machen told ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach. "We'll always love Billy Donovan, whether he was here 11 years or 21 years. I don't think the University of Florida has to worry about who their next coach is."

Donovan's new contract at Florida -- it was presented to him on May 17 but he had yet to sign it as of May 25 -- was to pay him around $3 million in the first year. The contract then was to escalate to more than $3.75 in guaranteed income by the end of the contract in 2013-14, a person familiar with the negotiations told ESPN.com

There is precedent for a college coach turning down the NBA. Former Atlanta Hawks general manager Pete Babcock said Thursday that the Hawks thought Michigan State coach Tom Izzo was going to accept their job when they offered it a few years ago. The same thing occurred when Duke's Mike Krzyzewski turned down a lucrative offer to coach the Los Angeles Lakers.

The 42-year-old Donovan is one of only 12 college basketball coaches to win multiple national championships. The Gators won their second straight in April after beating Ohio State.

The Magic removed Brian Hill as coach on May 23 after two consecutive losing seasons and a first-round sweep in this year's playoffs.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2888555
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Not suprised at all, kinda saw this coming a mile away. Wonder what this means for Jai Lucas and the other recruits.

Ziggy · May 31, 2007

I think its a little too late for the recruits to leave right? Or can they still be freed up? I bet some of these kids are already enrolled in summer school. I am interested in who Florida gets to coach. I am sure they get someone legit.

gucci888 · May 31, 2007

Ziggy said:

I think its a little too late for the recruits to leave right? Or can they still be freed up? I bet some of these kids are already enrolled in summer school. I am interested in who Florida gets to coach. I am sure they get someone legit.
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Ziggy- I think recruits can leave w/o penalty from the NCAA as long as they haven't enrolled yet. However, I think the university has some say on whether they can leave or at least where they can leave for.

Hayesfan · May 31, 2007

I bet Jai is sick as a dog now that he didn't choose UK!!

MAN am I glad we ended up with Billy Clyde instead of Billy D!!

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