Lets beat em worse than we did FSUcks!!
On Wed, Jan 23, 2013 at 9:23 AM, mail.bobparks.com <[email protected]>wrote: > Nice one, Woody! Billy deserves more credit than he's gotten. > Let's beat the evil ones tonight!! > > Oliver Barry, CRS, GRI > Real Estate Broker > Bob Parks, LLC > 1517 Hunt Club Blvd > Gallatin TN 37066 > 615-972-4239 > 615-826-4040 > Sent from my iPhone > > Begin forwarded message: > > *From:* Woody Bass <[email protected]> > *Date:* January 23, 2013 8:11:00 AM CST > *To:* WXIA <[email protected]> > *Subject:* *[gatornews] Billy Donovan still making Magic with Gators - > OrlandoSentinel.com <http://orlandosentinel.com/><http://orlandosentinel.com/> > * > *Reply-To:* [email protected] > > > http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/os-mike-bianchi-billy-donovan-magic-0123-20130122,0,2551108.column > > Billy Donovan still making Magic with Gators - > OrlandoSentinel.com<http://orlandosentinel.com/><http://orlandosentinel.com/> > > Three greatest professional moves in history: > > 1. Cher <http://topic/entertainment/music/cher-PECLB000958.topic> dumps > Sonny and becomes a solo star. > > 2. Frank > Sinatra<http://topic/entertainment/music/frank-sinatra-PECLB003706.topic>makes > "From Here to Eternity" and resurrects his career. > > 3. Billy > Donovan<http://topic/sports/basketball/billy-donovan-PESPT008377.topic>reneges > on the Orlando > Magic <http://topic/sports/basketball/orlando-magic-ORSPT000208.topic>and > immortalizes his. > > Hate to say I told you so, Magic fans, but I said it then and I'll > reiterate it now: > > The best move Donovan ever made was to inexplicably change his mind six > years ago, back out of the Magic job after one day and return to the > University of > Florida<http://topic/sports/college-sports/florida-gators-ORSPT000172.topic> > . > > As I wrote back then: > "NBA<http://topic/sports/basketball/national-basketball-association-15008001.topic>coaches > are known but not loved. Coaching in the pros is about building > your bank account; coaching in college is about building your legacy. If > you stay in college basketball long enough, you become a legend. If you > stay in the NBA long enough, you become a retread." > > And, so, I present to you Billy Donovan, who on Saturday won his 400th > game at UF to go with two national championships, three Final Fours, two > consecutive Elite 8 appearances, umpteen NCAA > Tournament<http://topic/sports/basketball/ncaa-division-i-basketball-tournament-EVSPR0000083.topic>appearances > and a team that this year appears to be an > NCAA<http://topic/sports/college-sports/national-collegiate-athletic-association-ORSPT000122.topic>title > contender once again. > > He's gone from Billy the Kid to Billy the Legend. > > He's gone from Billy Basketball to Billy Icon. > > He's become a mythic figure at UF. > > If he'd not backed out on the Magic, he'd be just another fired NBA coach. > > "Obviously that was a difficult conversation to have with the Magic during > that time," Donovan recalled earlier this week. "It was just something in > my heart and something I couldn't put my finger on. I just felt like it was > the right thing to do – not only for myself but for the Magic. For whatever > reason, it just was not comfortable or right for me. … I'm excited that > I've been able to be at Florida for as long as I have." > > Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those who believes Donovan would have > been just another college coach who flopped in the NBA (see Rick Pitino, John > Calipari <http://topic/sports/basketball/john-calipari-PESPT0011644.topic>, > Lon Kruger, etc.) He's a great enough coach and has the mental makeup to > succeed on the pro level, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't have been > fired. Stan Van > Gundy<http://topic/sports/basketball/stan-van-gundy-PESPT008524.topic>got > fired, and he's one of the elite coaches in the NBA. > > Bum Phillips may have been talking about the NFL but he could have easily > been referring to the NBA when he famously said, "There are two kinds of > coaches; them that are fired and them that are gonna be fired." > > Translation: In Gainesville, Billy is the Gators' version of John Wooden. > > In Orlando, he'd be the Magic's version of John Lucas. > > In Gainesville, his boss, athletic director Jeremy Foley, would love to > give him a lifetime contract. > > In Orlando, his boss, Dwight > Howard<http://topic/sports/basketball/dwight-howard-PESPT008416.topic>, > would have probably canned him years ago. > > Can you believe it? Donovan, still only 47 years old, has become a living > legend and one of college basketball's all-time greats right before our > very eyes. Already, he's third in > SEC<http://topic/sports/college-sports/southeastern-conference-ORSPT00000246.topic>history > in career victories behind Adolph Rupp and Dale Brown. Only two > other coaches in major college history -- Mike > Krzyzewski<http://topic/sports/basketball/mike-krzyzewski--PESPT000008961.topic>and > Bob Knight -- ever won two national titles at a younger age than > Donovan. If Donovan wins one more national title, he'll have as many as > Knight. If he wins two more, he ties Krzyzewski and Rupp and trails only > Wooden. > > He is the only coach in the business who has consistently and perennially > made the basketball program more successful at a football school than the > football program. All of the other great coaches out there – Krzyzewski, > Rick Pitino, John Calipari, Roy Williams, Jim Boeheim, etc. – have never > been asked to win national titles at a football school. It is why I believe > Donovan is the greatest college coach – football or basketball – in this > state's history. > > Let's be honest, it's not all that difficult to win a football national > title in the State of Florida. Seven coaches have done it, including the > relatively pedestrian Dennis Erickson, who won two of them. Donovan, > though, is the only coach in state history who's won a basketball national > title – and he's won two of them and played for another. > > And guess what? He has the team this year that might just compete for it > again. The Gators aren't just beating opponents; they are bludgeoning them. > Donovan got his 400th with Saturday's 83-52 dismantling of No. 17 Missouri. > The Gators' four SEC wins have come by an average margin of 26.8 points. > Florida destroyed Big > Ten<http://topic/sports/college-sports/big-ten-conference-ORSPT000112.topic>power > Wisconsin<http://topic/sports/college-sports/wisconsin-badgers-ORSPT000134.topic>74-56, > Big > East<http://topic/sports/college-sports/big-east-conference-ORSPT000139.topic>power > Marquette<http://topic/sports/college-sports/marquette-golden-eagles-ORSPT000143.topic>82-49 > and defending > ACC<http://topic/sports/college-sports/atlantic-coast-conference-ORSPT00000248.topic>champion > Florida > State<http://topic/sports/college-sports/florida-state-seminoles-ORSPT000176.topic>72-47. > > Meanwhile, Van Gundy, the best coach in Orlando franchise history, has > been fired, and the Magic have lost 13 of their last 15 heading into > Tuesday night's game. > > Billy Legend has shown us that sometimes the best career moves are the > ones we never make. > > [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BianchiWrites. Listen to his > radio show every weekday from 6 to 9 a.m. on 740 AM. > > > Woody (via iPhone) > > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us > > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
