Billy ball in OKC
Donovan hard at work earning NBA stripes
ORLANDO, Fla.— For Billy Donovan to leave the University of Florida, a place where he had spent 19 seasons turning the Gators into a national basketball powerhouse, it was going to take a special situation.
That situation turned out to be the chance to coach Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka with the Thunder— oneof the four or five teams that will enter next season with a legitimate shot at winning the NBA title.
But it wasn’t just the obvious reason — that the Thunder possess a loaded roster — that convinced Donovan. It was that when Donovan sat down with Thunder general manager and longtime friend Sam Presti to discuss the job, he felt the same kind of connection he did with Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley.
“The first time we really sat down and talked about this, [ Sam] really laid out what the organization stood for, what itwas about, what he envisioned going forward, whatwas important to him as a general manager, and I identified with all those things,” Donovan said.
Donovan, who grew up on Long Island before starring for Rick Pitino at Providence, has been a fixture at summer league this week, sitting courtside to take in each of the Thunder’s games, often sitting next to Durant and teammates, Dion Waiters and Anthony Morrow.
It didn’t take long for the coach to make an impression on his new players.
“He’s just a basketball head, man,” Morrow said. “He’s a basketball junkie. That’s something I can really relate to. He’s just over there watching the game, every single play he’s locked in, thinking about something.”
It wasn’t clear Donovan was going to get another shot at the NBA after he agreed to coach the Magic in June 2007 only to have a change of heart a fewdays later and go back to Florida. Nevertheless, Donovan didn’t stop talking to various coaches around the league to glean insight on howto improve himself.
Donovan grew close over the years to Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, and used that relationship to better understand the NBA game.
“Because the NBA coaches are spending 24 hours a day on basketball, there’s a lot of innovative, creative ideas that those coaches have, and I’ve been very, very interested in learning and growing as a coach,” Donovan said. “I’ve been fortunate through the years to have different relationships with different guys that they’ve taken time to spend withme, and I’ve been able to grow and get better as a coach.”
Since agreeing in May to take the Thunder job, Donovan has had a busy couple of months. In addition to spending time in Oklahoma City, both getting to know the staff and working with players such as Durant and Anthony Roberson, who were rehabbing from surgeries, he also has jetted around the country trying to acclimate himself to his new players, and to speed up the learning process ahead of training camp this fall.
Donovan may no longer have to recruit — the bane of all college coaches’ existence— but it doesn’t mean he hasn’t been busy.
“Time is time, so to speak,” he said. “When you’re in a job, your time gets occupied in different ways. … From a time standpoint there’s been a lot to get to and a lot to get familiar with since being there.”
Given howmuch is riding on this season for Donovan and the Thunder— with title aspirations and Durant going into the last year of his contract— there still is plenty to be done before camp begins.