Direct, Respectful and Obsessed by the Game, Billy Donovan a Good Fit for OKC
In the fall of 1986, a few months before his senior season at Providence, Billy Donovan was asked to don a cowboy hat, boots and spurs for a photo that would appear on the cover of the Friars' media guide.
The attire was strange for a native New Yorker, but Donovan had become known as one of the top three-point shooters in the Big East, and the school had developed a marketing campaign comparing Donovan to an infamous southern outlaw:
"Billy the Kid: The Fastest Gun in the Big East."
Clever as the moniker may have been, Donovan wasn't feeling it. Instead of beginning the photo shoot, Donovan tracked down Friars coach Rick Pitino and told him he refused to pose in the outfit.
"He wouldn't put it on," Pitino told reporters in 2012, "[until] I made him put it on."
Begrudgingly, Donovan took part in the photo session, although you can bet he didn't request prints for friends and relatives, much less any for himself.
"I was not happy about doing that," Donovan said in 2012. "That media guide...I hope that's no longer able to be found."
Those who know him well will say the situation illustrates Donovan's persona to a T. Embarrassed as he was by the cowboy outfit, Donovan was even more uncomfortable about being singled out, about being morphed into a "character," about commanding individual attention in a team sport.
With Billy Donovan—who reportedly agreed on Thursday to leave his position as the head coach of the Florida Gators to become the new coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder—it's never about himself, but about everyone else. His joy has always stemmed from forging relationships and pushing buttons and getting the most out of those around him.
It's why Donovan went from being an overweight college point guard who was turned away by Fairfield and Northeastern to the svelte leader of a Final Four team at Providence. It's the reason he won two NCAA titles and reached four Final Fours at Florida.
And more than anything, it's why Donovan—with his selfless demeanor and the impressive manner with which he carries himself—is the perfect fit for the Thunder.
Donovan, who spent the past 19 seasons at Florida, replaces Scott Brooks, who was fired April 22 after failing to guide the Thunder to the playoffs.
Critics of the hire—and there are a few of them in Oklahoma City—point to Donovan's lack of NBA experience as both a player and a coach. Donovan played just one NBA season in 1987-88. After winning his second NCAA title at Florida in 2007, Donovan returned to the NBA when he was hired to coach the Orlando Magic. But he changed his mind six days after his introductory press conference and returned to Gainesville.
Still, none of that gives credence to the theory that Donovan won't be successful in Oklahoma City, where he'll coach two of the NBA's top 10 players in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
With so many outlandish personalities and larger-than-life characters, the NBA often seems to be a bit of a circus. Not necessarily in a bad way. The league is as entertaining as it has been in years and is soaring in popularity.
Donovan, though, will never be one of the circus clowns.
While coaches are often the focal point and most recognizable figures in college, that's usually not the case in the NBA, where stoic, even-keeled, businesslike figures are now preferred over the fiery cursers and screamers.
That's one of the reasons former Butler coach Brad Stevens was hired by the Boston Celtics, and why other college coaches such as Fred Hoiberg (Iowa State) and Kevin Ollie (Connecticut) are often mentioned for NBA jobs. They fit that mold.
So, too, does Donovan. He's got all of the qualities of a successful NBA coach.
Former players and assistants will tell you he studies film incessantly and is constantly thinking about basketball, to the point of changing the angle on a ball screen from 45 degrees to 47 degrees.
Offensively, Donovan is regarded as one of the best coaches in America, a guy who is constantly able to get his top stars good looks, which has increasingly become the goal of NBA offenses in an era where the Spurs have made it popular to pass up good shots for great shots.
More than anything, though, Donovan is a master of reaching his players, of motivating them and earning their trust. Donovan may berate a player, but rarely will you see him do it during a game in front of fans and television cameras. In the NBA, a former assistant said Donovan will be the type to address problems with players individually, either quietly during practice or in his office afterward.
There shouldn't be any concern about Donovan's style not meshing with pro players, especially in Oklahoma City, where Durant, despite his stardom, is hardly regarded as a prima donna or difficult to coach.
Also, even though he hasn't coached in the NBA, Donovan has worked with countless NBA-caliber players with USA Basketball and also at Florida, where he convinced the 3-star players from his 2006 NCAA title team (Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer) to return for another season instead of becoming lottery picks. That says a lot about Donovan and his ability to influence top-flight talent.
"Rare are the coaches who are liked, feared and respected," an NCAA Division I coach said. "Billy Donovan is all three of those things."
Donovan, who turns 50 on May 30, may be a native New Yorker who has spent most of his career at Florida, but his lack of ties to the South and Midwest hardly mean he won't be a good fit in Oklahoma City, a blue-collar town whose citizens will come to respect and admire Donovan the same way college basketball fans have for nearly two decades.
Donovan is as down to earth as people come. He isn't snooty or aloof. A conversation with Donovan in a busy airport or a crowded gym feels the same as when you're in his office. When you talk to him you feel like you're the only person in the room.
"He never loses eye contact," one of Donovan's former assistants said. "You never feel like he's only halfway in the conversation. He genuinely cares about you and what you're saying. You just don't find many people who are like that all the time.
"He's so sincere. And sincerity works. That's why he was able to get guys to play hard for him at Florida. And it's why they'll play hard for him in Oklahoma City."
Jason King covers college sports for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JasonKingBR.
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