Bulls Coach Billy Donovan Is A Candidate For The Kentucky Head Coaching Job - originally posted on Sportslens.com
College basketball is coming off of a weekend in which they owned the sports landscape. The women’s Final Four set viewership records and the men’s side saw UConn pull off back-to-back championships, but some of the biggest news came off of the court, when it was announced that John Calipari would be leaving Kentucky after spending the last 15 years as the head coach. There has already been plenty of speculation about who will take the high profile job, and Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan has been one of the names most often floated.
Is The Bulls Head Coach A Candidate For Kentucky Job?
Third Time Is The Charm: Reports Are Saying Billy Donovan Is Finally Interested In The Kentucky Job, NIL Could Tempt Him To Take It https://t.co/hVlf8AelzC pic.twitter.com/ZFyLUbVzT2
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) April 9, 2024
While he has been in the NBA ranks for the past nine years, most of Donovan’s success as a head coach came during his days at the college level. He is best known for being the head coach at the University of Florida from 1996 until 2015, a span that saw six Elite 8 appearances and back-to-back National Championships in 2006 and 2007.
But his first ever job as a coach of any kind came at Kentucky, where he worked as an assistant under Rick Pitino. So a connection between Donovan and the program exists, which make him one of the assumed leading candidates for the job.
Does Donovan Want To Head Back To The College Ranks?
Kentucky will contact Dan Hurley, Billy Donovan, and Scott Drew for its head coach vacancy, per @KySportsRadio
https://t.co/oMITdKgQg3 pic.twitter.com/RkHx2khMlp— On3 (@On3sports) April 9, 2024
Would he leave the Bulls and the NBA in order to move back down to the collegiate ranks? His name is brought up nearly every time there is a prestigious NCAA job opening, though this particular program might be more enticing to Donovan than openings in the past. But despite Chicago’s struggles this season, it appears that his job with the Bulls is safe, as he recently signed a multi-year extension with the team.
Kentucky can certainly offer more money, though, and as The Athletic reports, the Bulls likely won’t be interested in getting into a bidding war. They instead could be banking on the fact that coaching the Wildcats brings far more pressure than coaching the Bulls does, which may be a reason for the 58-year-old Billy Donovan to stay put in Chicago.
Other names that have been mentioned as possible Calipari replacements are Baylor head coach Scott Drew and Nate Oats of Alabama.
From Sportslens.com - NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB News, Rumors & Betting Picks
-----------------------
By: Anthony R. Cardenas
Title: Bulls Coach Billy Donovan Is A Candidate For The Kentucky Head Coaching Job
Sourced From: sportslens.com/news/bulls-coach-billy-donovan-is-a-candidate-for-the-kentucky-head-coaching-job/
Published Date: Tue, 09 Apr 2024 15:18:30 +0000
