Billy Donovan going to Magic

Do you think he'd bring his style --- that hellish fullcourt defense and everything that goes with it -- or because he is at a big school and can recruit a different type of kid do you think he'll modify it?

 

I remember running an AP story after the Magic's season ended that seemed to speculate that Hill could retire now, that he's ready to move on to whatever else he wants to do. No way that trade ever happens.

 

Columnist for many, many years there.

 

That's scary, even for a home town newspaper -- assuming that's what this paper is, is it? -- A columnist has to be able to be critical and objective of the facts even though his column is going to obviously offer his opinion and this guy comes off as the ultimate fan boy, which is never good.

 

Ditto. And no offense to Zagoshe, but it was already obvious he didn't know much by the previous post expressing Grant would be over his head.

At WORST, Donovan for Grant is probably a wash.

 

Wait a minute, wait a minute.

I think it is a very fair question to ask if a guy with one year's head coaching experience -- at a mid-major at that -- is really ready to start bumping uglies with the big boys on a regular basis.

His pedigree is not that much different than Stan Heath's, and, well, we saw how well that worked out,though, I'd say Heath should not have been fired.

This is a huge step up for Grant and while he may be smart, sharp and everything else, it isn't a slam dunk that he is ready.

 

The question is fine. The opinion you thought he'd be over his head when you subsequently admit you don't even know much about him is my beef.

Futhermore, I say his pedigree is better than Heath's. Grant is already fully acquainted with UF, and as a head coach, he took a VCU team that was expected to be no better than decent and made them excellent. Not to downplay Kent State's Elite 8 appearance, but that was an excellent team already thanks to Gary Waters.

And like you said, Heath shouldn't have even been fired.

Grant's ready.

 

Maybe. He did a good job with this year's VCU team, and you'll have a hard time finding someone to say otherwise. But it's not a Sisyphean task to take a middle-of-the-pack CAA team and make them a contender. UNC-W was down, ODU lost its best player, George Mason lost almost everyone. It was supposed to be Hofstra's to lose, and when they underachieved, all bets were off. Hell, William & Mary finished in the first division.

It's fair, even if you're not intimate with Grant or VCU, to wonder if one good season as a head coach is enough to make you the slam dunk choice to take the reins of a two-time defending national champion in the rebuilding stages.

 

I suppose it's fair if you think Coach K, Jim Calhoun or Ben Howland could be pried away from their current jobs to go to Gainesville. Otherwise, UF isn't going to do better. Everybody's a gamble to some degree.

 

After finally having an opportunity to sit down with my family, and with Jeremy Foley, I've decided that I will remain at the University of Florida," Donovan said in a statement. "I have great respect for the University of Kentucky, its great history and tradition, and I had five wonderful years in Lexington.

"That being said, I'm very proud of what we've built here at the University of Florida and I look forward to continuing to build on it."

 

Grant is a very good coach. To think that he will be one of the top five coaches in the country is a real stretch. We just do not know that yet.

Do I think he will make Florida a top 20 team? Yes. Top-10? Maybe? Bring them to the finals and win it? Doubt it. How many active coaches have coached in an NCAA final? 10? 12? Knight, K, Williams, Jimmy B... Thie list is pretty short. How many have coached in three and won it? That is a real short list.