Ad Disclosure
Billy Donovan credits early Florida players for Hall of Fame career
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Billy Donovan gave a nod to a host of former Florida players after the announcement that he would be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2025.
Donovan, who was hired from Marshall to lead the Gators program in 1996, finished under .500 in his first 2 seasons. In 1998, the Gators were in the Sweet 16, with a team that included freshmen Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller. A year later, they were in the national championship game.
“You think about Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem early on, there was no reason they needed to come there. Those guys in a lot of ways changed the trajectory of the program and changed my life,” Donovan said on ESPN on Saturday.
Fast forward to 2006 and 2007, when the Gators won back-to-back national championships. Those teams were paced by Corey Brewer, Al Horford, and Joakim Noah — who all went on to have successful NBA careers — along with Lee Humphrey and Taurean Green, who played the bulk of their pro ball overseas. Green is currently an assistant at Florida, which is currently in the Final Four.
“I think about Joakim Noah and Al Horford and Corey Brewer and Taurean Green and Lee Humphrey. Without those guys, I’m not sitting up here. So, yes it is an individual honor, but there are a lot of people that helped me get to this point that I’m grateful for,” Donovan said.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
