#19 Florida, Billy Donovan Are For Real

I've been waiting to write this post for a couple weeks now, anticipating the fall of the other shoe. But it appears there is no punchline. After the loss of Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer, Al Horford, Chris Richard, Taurean Green, and Lee Humphrey, the top 6 players from last year's championship team, everyone wrote off this year's Gators. One of the biggest reasons NBA teams thought they could lure Donovan away from Florida was that everyone assumed it would be a multi-year rebuilding process.

Don't look now, but Billy Donovan has assembled a very credible team this year, one capable of winning the SEC. After a fairly soft non-conference schedule, the Gators are now 18-3 overall, 5-1 in the SEC. Many thought that the better opposition in the SEC would expose the young Florida team, but it's actually been the other way around. Last night, Florida thumped a ranked Vanderbilt team, 86-64. Their three losses this year are FSU, at Ohio St., and at #15 Ole Miss (by 2).

While many expect continued success every year from good programs, Donovan deserves lots of credit and serious consideration for Coach of the Year honors. It's no leap of faith to think that Florida can win 6 more games and enter the SEC tournament with a bye and an 11-5 conference record. Who would have thought that Florida would be better than Kentucky this year? How happy is Donovan that he stayed at Florida? It's nice to see a man rewarded for putting family values and his heart first, and knowing that the Magic job didn't feel right.