Best Candidates to Replace Billy Donovan as Florida's Basketball Coach
With Billy Donovan bolting for the NBA, Florida will now have to find a suitable replacement as head coach of the basketball team.
According to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, Donovan has agreed to a deal to make him the next head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder. This leaves the Gators without the coach who had led the program to two national championships and four Final Four appearances since 2000.
Obviously, these will be big shoes to fill.
Fortunately for athletic director Jeremy Foley, this is still a top program, and many coaches around the nation would love to end up at Florida. With plenty of suitable candidates potentially available, the question is simply which one would be the best choice.
Here is a breakdown of the top candidates the Gators should consider over the coming weeks.
10. Gregg Marshall, Wichita State
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Brief Biography: The current Wichita State coach is already considered among the nation's best, leading the Shockers to an incredible run over the past few years. After going to the Final Four in 2013, he led the squad to an undefeated regular season in 2013-14 and then a Sweet 16 appearance in 2015.
After his success at Winthrop and Wichita State, seemingly every major program in the nation has tried to bring him aboard.
Biggest Advantage: Gregg Marshall simply knows how to coach. He has proved his ability not only in the Missouri Valley Conference but at a national level. He has recruited top players like Fred VanVleet and helped develop those who weren't rated as highly.
No matter where he ends up, he has a good chance of being successful.
Biggest Disadvantage: His is low on this list because it is unlikely he leaves Wichita State. He recently passed on a chance to coach Alabama, instead signing a seven-year extension with his own school to make $3.3 million annually.
Florida is a better destination, but he can remain a god-like figure in Wichita after defeating Kansas in the NCAA tournament.
9. Ed Cooley, Providence
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Brief Biography: It seems unlikely a major-conference coach will leave his school this late in the offseason, but one who would be a top option is Ed Cooley. He has the right combination of youth (45 years old) and positive results at both Fairfield and Providence.
Biggest Advantage: Unlike other likely considered coaches from power conferences, Cooley has already proved himself at a high level (sorry, Richard Pitino). This makes him as safe an option for the Gators as just about anyone on the board.
Biggest Disadvantage: As someone who has been in the Northeast his entire career and will get to coach one of the top returning players in the nation next year in Kris Dunn, there isn't a great reason for Cooley to leave. Money and a new opportunity could be enticing, but the bet is he stays where he is.
8. Larry Shyatt, Wyoming
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Brief Biography: Larry Shyatt has the double dosage of being a coach coming off a big season as well as having connections to the program. He was an assistant under Billy Donovan when the school won its back-to-back national championships and recently brought Wyoming to the NCAA tournament in his fourth year with the team.
Biggest Advantage: It will be an easier transition for Florida if it's someone familiar with the program, especially considering Shyatt will likely have plenty of recruiting connections in the area. He also coached one of the toughest defenses in college basketball this past season and can keep that mindset for the Gators.
Biggest Disadvantage: At 64 years old, Shyatt would hardly be considered a long-term solution for Florida. He also struggled immensely at Clemson during his only other time as head coach of a major-conference program.
7. Steve Prohm, Murray State
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Brief Biography: Although he only has four years of experience as a head coach, Steve Prohm has already had a great deal of success. The Murray State coach couldn't get his team to the NCAA tournament but still led his team to 25 wins in a row during the year. Adding this to a 31-2 squad in 2011-12 shows how good of a start he has gotten off to in his career.
Biggest Advantage: He is a rising star within the coaching ranks with a 104-29 career record. At 40 years old, he has the potential to not only build his own program at Florida, but to stick around for a long time.
Biggest Disadvantage: Like other long-shot candidates such as Brad Underwood of Stephen F. Austin or Georgia State's Ron Hunter, Prohm would be making a big jump to the SEC. Murray State had a solid year in the Ohio Valley Conference, but there is a big difference between succeeding at this level and getting it done on a consistent basis for a program like Florida.
6. Anthony Grant, Florida Assistant Coach
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Brief Biography: Anthony Grant was hired as a Florida assistant after being fired from Alabama at the end of this season, though he was with the Gators as an assistant from 1996-2006 before that. Following 2006, he helped build up VCU with a 76-25 record in three years (two NCAA tournament appearances) before getting a job with the Crimson Tide.
Biggest Advantage: Grant knows Florida well and was a big part of the program's success early in Billy Donovan's career. Though he wasn't great at Alabama, he will have more resources and certainly more talent with the Gators.
Biggest Disadvantage: Coming off an unsuccessful season and being fired from a fellow SEC program doesn't exactly bring confidence to a fanbase. He might be a good coach, but boosters won't be too inspired by the hire.
5. Michael White, Louisiana Tech
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Brief Biography: After taking over a Louisiana Tech squad that was just 12-20 the year before, Michael White has turned the Bulldogs into a Conference USA power. The squad has won the last three regular-season titles (one in the WAC) with an offense that is simply fun to watch. Although he has just four years of experience at the helm, he has a lot of experience in the SEC from his time as an assistant for Ole Miss.
Biggest Advantage: He took little time building up a quality program at Louisiana Tech and could bring an entertaining style of basketball to fans. At just 38 years old, he is considered by many to be one of the top up-and-coming coaches in the sport.
Biggest Disadvantage: Despite three conference regular-season titles, he has never gone to the NCAA tournament. Bringing in a coach without any postseason experience is a major risk for a top program like Florida.
4. John Pelphrey, Florida Assistant Coach
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Brief Biography: John Pelphrey has been a Florida assistant twice during Billy Donovan's tenure, from 1996 to 2002 and then again from 2011 to the present. In between, he was a head coach for South Alabama and then Arkansas, where he accumulated a 149-126 record at the two schools.
Biggest Advantage: He has a lot of familiarity with the program and could create an easier transition for the current players and recruits. Additionally, his career in the SEC from a Kentucky player to Arkansas coach to Florida assistant should help prepare him for this potential role.
Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv reports Pelphrey has a strong shot at this position.
Biggest Disadvantage: While he was a head coach for a time, he didn't have much success in that role. He went to the NCAA tournament twice in nine years and had a handful of losing seasons at each position. The Gators might want someone with a more inspiring head coaching resume.
3. Ben Jacobson, Northern Iowa
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Brief Biography: While most mid-major coaches get job offers after one good season, Ben Jacobson has put together a few quality years with Northern Iowa. He has led his team to the NCAA tournament three times and has earned a solid 3-3 record in that stretch. The Panthers also have three Missouri Valley Conference tournament titles, which is a league that is often extremely deep.
Biggest Advantage: Jacobson has shown the ability to not only have a fluke year but sustain success at a quality program. He also has nine years of experience despite being just 44 years old, as well as a nice recommendation from ESPN's Myron Medcalf.
Biggest Disadvantage: There would be a pretty big jump in competition from the Missouri Valley to the SEC, especially considering Northern Iowa doesn't compete against top opponents quite like Wichita State. He has gotten by without recruiting top talent, but that won't be an option at Florida.
2. Chris Mack, Xavier
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Brief Biography: It's true Chris Mack inherited a good situation at Xavier, but he has kept it going in his six years with the team. The coach has taken the Musketeers to the NCAA tournament in five of his six seasons with three trips to the Sweet 16, including this past season.
Biggest Advantage: In addition to faring well on the court, Mack also has shown the ability to bring in some quality talent on the recruiting circuit like Semaj Christon, Trevon Bluiett and Dez Wells. This will only be easier with the Gators.
Biggest Disadvantage: As an Ohio native and alumnus of Xavier, it might be tough to get Mack to leave his current team. He would also be starting afresh with few connections to the area even if he does decide to take the job.
1. Archie Miller, Dayton
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Brief Biography: In just four years at Dayton, Archie Miller has proved his brother Sean doesn't have all the coaching talent in the family. He led the Flyers to the round of 32 in the NCAA tournament a year after going all the way to the Elite Eight.
Most impressively, Dayton won two NCAA tournament games this past season without a single contributing player taller than 6'6".
Biggest Advantage: Miller knows how to coach and how to adjust to any issues to get the most out of his team. He is also just 36 years old and can be the future of the program in Gainesville.
Biggest Disadvantage: Amid all of the speculation that he would go elsewhere, Dayton re-signed its coach to a huge deal that lasts through 2022. This doesn't mean he can't leave, but it will likely cost more money to bring him aboard.
The question is whether Florida has the willingness to spend that kind of money on the coveted coach.
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