by Alan Smith
It’s easy for Florida Gator fans to appreciate the two NCAA titles Billy Donovan has brought them, but it’s just as easy to forget about them. At least it seems like that is what has happened over the past three years. The Gators have been in a free fall ever since winning back-to-back titles, like falling in an eternal pit in a good dream turned into a nightmare. Some critics proclaim that Donovan caught lightning in a bottle with his past success because he has never claimed anything before or after those years. After surrendering the SEC limelight to Kentucky Coach John Calipari, it seems that Billy the Kid and the Gators might not ever wake up from that nightmare. Lets take a look back in time and see how we arrived at this point.
In April 2007, the Gators were fresh off their second consecutive NCAA title and had also won a football title in between. I only mention that because here in Florida, the mythical “Gator Nation” was out and about pounding their chest with all their pride and arrogance. Many of them were in a lovefest with their beloved basketball program that soon ended. This is where their magical dream turned into a nightmare.
Most of the players that had stuck around the program to win those titles crushed everyone’s hearts by deciding to leave UF and enter the NBA Draft. Billy Donovan finally ended the ongoing rumors about leaving Florida and taking another job such as coaching at UK or the Memphis Grizzlies. He kept his promise. He stayed in Florida and took another job in order to avoid having to change state of residency on his paperwork or waste money on moving expenses. He traveled an hour down the road to take the reins of the Orlando Magic, only to back out three days later because he was “homesick”.
I didn’t know Gainesville really meant that much to him. Maybe it did, but for recruits it didn’t appear that way. Before he took the Orlando job, there were ongoing rumors about his presence at UF and for how much longer he would stay. Many Gator fans secretly wished for an end for the “Billy Drama” and for Donovan to stay at Orlando so they could keep Anthony Grant. In a long and drawn out recruiting saga, high school stud Patrick Patterson from Huntington, WV announced his commitment to Kentucky. Many people had thought he would choose Florida and it had seemed that way for some time. For Donovan, this wasn’t much to worry about. Especially since he had a Top 5 recruiting class coming in the next year, they would be good enough to replace the starting lineup from the previous years, even if they didn’t have a good low post player coming in to replace the depleted frontcourt.
Most people thought it wouldn’t make that much of a difference and Florida could continue to build its “dynasty”. Patrick Patterson choosing Billy Gillispie over Billy Donovan and the Blue and White over Blue and Orange made a huge difference. In 2008, it was the difference between NCAA berth and a ticket to the NIT. After showing some promise in the beginning of the season with an early 18-3 record, the Gators faltered and and went just 8-8 in the SEC and lost their last four in a row. Part of this reason is because they were not truly tested in the nonconference part of the schedule, facing nearly every mid-major team in the State of Florida. It did not help their RPI and they were headed to the NIT, while Patrick Patterson was named co-SEC Freshman of the year.
In the 2009 season, sophomore PG Jai Lucas, who was heavily recruited by both Kentucky and Florida, decided it was in his best interests to transfer from UF. He eventually headed back to his homestate of Texas to play for the Longhorns because he was not getting substantial playing time behind SG Nick Calathes, who was getting more playing time for Donovan playing out of position than a true PG like Lucas could get. After a typical UF nonconference schedule, the Gators went 9-7 in the SEC and yet again failed to make it to the Big Dance. More players began to transfer during this time, among them was Calathes, who decided to play in Europe and forego his last two years of college. The real irony is that the players that the Gators thought would help lead them to the promised land, Jai Lucas and Patrick Patterson, are currently playing for the #1 and #2 teams in the land … with no orange and blue in sight.
We are now well into the 2010 season, with another rivalry matchup ahead of us. But if you ask me, I would’ve thought it was 2003. Kentucky is back in its rightful place among the top of the SEC and the college basketball world. Even after taking a few years hiatus, the Cats still fought in battles with the Gators over coaches (more than once) and recruits. And tonight is another reason for UK to prove to Florida exactly why college basketball’s King resides in Lexington and not in Gainesville, like he once did. Billy Donovan had the chance to become a King in Camelot, or an Emperor in Caesar’s Palace, but instead he settled for a condo in a small town in rural Florida. We will see just how far the road will take the true King as the Cats awaken the pretenders of the throne from their dream. And the Gator nightmare continues.
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