Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan has been approached with an opportunity to become the next head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels. The program in Chapel Hill has suffered back-to-back first-round exits in the NCAA Tournament, and they have finally pulled the plug on head coach Hubert Davis, who once took them to the national championship game when he first started.
Amid the coaching interest, let’s take a look at Donovan’s coaching profile in depth.
Billy Donovan College Coaching Record
After playing for the Wyoming Wildcatters, the New York Knicks and the Rapid City Thrillers, Billy Donovan picked up the role of assistant coach with the Kentucky Wildcats in 1989.
Marshall (1994-1996)
His first opportunity to lead a program as the head coach came in 1994 when he was hired by Marshall, becoming the youngest head basketball coach in NCAA Division I at just 28 years old.
Donovan took a 9-18 program to 18-9 in his first season. He won the Southern Conference North Division title and was named the 1995 Southern Conference Coach of the Year. Overall, in two seasons, he led Marshall to a 35-20 overall record.
Florida Gators (1996-2015)
Donovan’s most successful time as head coach came with the Florida Gators. In 19 seasons, he led the program to a 467-186 record while going 35-12 in the NCAA Tournament. He won two national titles, to go along with four Final Four appearances, six SEC regular-season titles and four SEC tournament titles.
In short, he turned Florida into a national powerhouse.
After his stint with Florida, he returned to the NBA, becoming the head coach of the OKC Thunder and thereafter the Chicago Bulls.
Overall, in his coaching career, Donovan has posted a 502-206 record, including 200-110 in conference games.
Billy Donovan’s Interest With UNC Questioned By Insider
College basketball insider Rob Reinhart has given an update on UNC’s interest in Billy Donovan. As per the reporter, Donovan has already declined the opportunity to become the new head coach of North Carolina, as he said he wants to pursue other opportunities in college basketball.
The same report also adds that UNC’s interest in Donovan was not serious. In fact, they only even approached the Bulls head coach to check how the appeal is among the NBA coaches.
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