But I doubt it.
Maybe this run made people realize how fortunate they are to have him.
Probably not.
Maybe the way he rebuilt the team after losing three NBA Draft lottery picks and all five starters will convince them. Maybe the way he took his team to within a shot of the Final Four without any superstars will do it.
Naw, there are still going to be those of you out there who will look at the end-game situation against Butler as an indictment of your coach. That he took them to that point won’t matter.
But as we reflect a week removed from what Billy Donovan did with this Gator basketball team, I believe the majority of Gator Nation gets it.
You’re lucky to have Billy.
The day Jeremy Foley took a chance on the young Marshall coach was the day basketball changed forever at the University of Florida. Until then, hoops was something to take your mind off football for a couple of months until spring practice began.
Now, Florida is one of the nation’s better programs. It’s not Duke. It’s not Kentucky. Some of you think it is, but it’s not. The gap is more narrow than it has ever been.
Your Billy turned down Kentucky when it came a-callin’. He turned down other schools’ overtures. He eventually turned down the NBA. When the Magic hired him, as we all know, he changed his mind. You know why. He loved it here too much to leave.
That in itself should be enough to make you want to wrap your arms around Your Billy. It should be enough to make you want to fill the O-Dome every time the Gators play and travel to the ends of the earth to see his teams in the postseason.
Those things aren’t going to happen. This isn’t Kentucky. It isn’t Kansas.
It’s Florida, which had been to one Final Four before Your Billy arrived. The Gators had played in a dozen NCAA Tournament games. They had won seven.
Under Donovan, Florida has won two national titles and been to five Sweet 16s. The Gators have won 25 of 34 NCAA games. The three appearances in the national title game are in a tie for ninth all-time.
Florida was not on the college basketball map until Donovan came to Gainesville. The Gators won one SEC title in the history of the school.
I know, you know all of this. Sometimes, you need to be reminded.
Let’s also point out, for the most part, that his players stay out of trouble. They graduate. The banners hanging from the O’Connell Center ceiling are there to stay. He does it the right way. At a place that used to produce an occasional NBA player, he sends them to the pros by the boatload.
I won’t even mention that he deserves some of the credit for luring Urban Meyer to Gainesville. Or the many things he does for the community through his charity work.
Donovan has done it for 15 years with class and dignity. Sure, players have left the program. Some for playing time, others because they weren’t Chandler Parsons.
Parsons is one of those players who had a meeting with Donovan and was told to shape up or ship out. Some of those players took a hike, refusing to buckle down. Parsons became the SEC Player of the Year.
My buddy Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel once wrote that Donovan is the best coach in the history of the state in any sport. I won’t disagree.
You are lucky to have Your Billy. And you’re going to have him for a long time.
For that, you should be ecstatic.
Contact Pat Dooley at 352-374-5053 or at dooleyp@gvillesun.com. You can listen to The Pat Dooley Show weekdays from 4-6 p.m. on 104.9 FM. And follow at Twitter.com/Pat_Dooley.
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