Billy Donovan isn’t exactly known as an emotional guy.
But that’s exactly what Oklahoma City’s head coach is expecting to be when he travels to his old stomping, or rather, chomping, grounds on Saturday for Florida’s game against Vanderbilt.
Donovan is returning the place where he spent nearly two decades to be honored for the time spent and the success he had in the Swamp.
Prior to the Gators game against the Commodores on Saturday, the court inside Exactech Arena will be named “Billy Donovan Court” and the former Florida Gators head coach told Clay Horning of the Norman Transcript that he expects it to be an emotional moment.
“I think it will be very, very emotional, you know, for me,” Donovan said. “Going there when I was 30 years old and, [in] the coaching profession, it’s very, very hard to stay in the same place for a long period of time and I was fortunate to be there for 19 years.”
Donovan was the head coach of the Florida Gators from 1996 through the 2014-15 season. During his tenure in Gainesville, he put together an impressive resume: a record of 467-186 with 16 straight trips to the postseason and 13 NCAA Tournaments.
His team won seven SEC regular-season championships, four SEC Tournament championships, including three straight in 2004-05, 2005-06, and 2006-07, four Final Fours, and of course, the back-to-back NCAA National Championships in 2005-06 and 2006-07.
Donovan didn’t make the jump to the NBA for another seven seasons.
Since taking over in Oklahoma City ahead of the 2015-16 season, Donovan has racked up a record of 382-231. He’s been over. 500 in each of his four previous seasons coming into 2019-20, and the Thunder have yet to miss the postseason under Donovan.
