The 2000s were full of great college basketball storylines, and one of the most intriguing was Florida’s back-to-back national title wins, and it involved then-head coach Billy Donovan, Al Horford, and Joakim Noah. This story was revealed by CBS Sports College Basketball’s Gary Parrish (15:00), who shared that a rift almost formed between two of Florida’s biggest stars at the time.
Renowned sports commentator Dick Vitale and then-Florida coach Billy Donovan were reportedly caught on a hot mic while they were talking, and the incident was heard during a radio show, with Vitale not knowing they they were being broadcast live.
“Billy, it’s clearly Dick Vitale talking to somebody at breakfast, not realizing he’s live on radio. And he says, ‘Billy Donovan grabbed me all alone and said, ‘The pro scouts are making a mistake.” He said, ‘There’s no way I would take Noah over Horford.'”
“He said he would never say that publicly, but there’s no way he would take Noah over Horford, which by the way proved to be the right thing. Oh, it was right. It was right. It was right. In in fairness, all these years later, Billy Donovan and Dick Vitale were right. Noah was a fine pro, but Horford certainly by far the best.”
Parrish then noted that even though it turned out to be a correct assessment in the end, it caused a rift in the Gators locker room. He also pointed out that Donovan refused to comment while Vitale admitted he placed the coach in a bad spot. Despite that, Florida went on to win back-to-back NCAA national championships in the end.
How Good was Billy Donovan’s 2007 Florida Gators?
After Florida won the NCAA title in 2006, many expected Lee Humphrey, Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer, and Taurean Green to enter the NBA draft. However, Billy Donovan uttered a huge sigh of relief when all five of them announced that they are coming back to attempt a back-to-back with Florida.
The team went on to have an overall record of 36-4 and a 14-4 in the SEC. However, while the 2007 Gators were not the top team in their conference, they were highly regarded as one of the big favorites to win it all, especially with its starting five from the previous year’s championship run staying.
As March Madness arrived, the Gators earned the number one overall seed in the 2007 NCAA tournament. They defeated Jackson State, Purdue, Butler, and Oregon before beating UCLA in the Final Four and then beating Ohio State in the final, 84-75. This led Florida to become the first school since Duke to win back-to-back NCAA titles at that time.
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
