Florida’s athletics department made a special announcement on Friday, that the basketball court in Exactech Arena will be named after former longtime coach Billy Donovan. The official dedication of “Billy Donovan Court” is set for Feb. 15, 2020 when the Gators take on Vanderbilt and Donovan has down time due to NBA All-Star Weekend. Former players and staffers are expected to be back on campus to join in festivities.

Former Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley and current AD Scott Stricklin flew to Oklahoma to deliver the news to Donovan.

“I was totally shocked,” Donovan told FloridaGators.com’s Chris Harry. “It was really emotional. I mean, I didn’t anticipate this. I’ve been gone five years, so I couldn’t believe those guys flew all the way out here for that. I’m thankful, I’m honored and just incredibly humbled by it all.”

Donovan brought the Gators to unprecedented success during his run from 1996 to 2015, highlighted by back-to-back national titles in the 2006 and 2007 seasons.

 

Now the head coach of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder, Donovan posted a 467-186 season in Gainesville. Included in that run was 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, four final fours, seven elite eights, and ten combined SEC regular season and tournament championships.