Billy Donovan, three days removed from leading Florida to a second consecutive national championship, will announce later Thursday that he will remain the Gators' coach and not make himself available to interview for the opening at SEC rival Kentucky.
Sources close to the situation told ESPN.com that Donovan met Thursday morning with Florida athletics director Jeremy Foley in Gainesville, Fla. The decision was made at that time that Donovan would stay on as coach.
A statement from Florida is forthcoming, sources said.
Donovan was the top choice of Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart to replace Tubby Smith, who left the program in March to coach Minnesota.
Donovan said Wednesday night he had not been contacted about the job. However, he acknowledged he would have to think about it if Kentucky reached out to him.
Speaking before a fundraising dinner at Marshall University, Donovan said he needed time to "decompress" following the Gators' national championship victory over Ohio State. An on-campus celebration for the Gators is scheduled at the O'Connell Center on Friday, and on Saturday, Donovan and his family will leave for vacation in the Dominican Republic.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2826756 (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2826756)
They will talk with Barnes at UT, but he too will pass. goodbye Crean.
Majerus new MU coach by Easter????
I don't think Crean will be leaving and I think that it is a good thing.
Why does everyone think Majerus would ever take the MU job again? I don't.
I don't know, now with Donovan out of the mix you really got to think that if Calipari doesn't take it (I don't think Barnes would leave Texas) UK will come knocking down Crean's door...
I don't have the best feeling that TC would stay.
Not what I wanted to hear.
I don't see this ending well for us.
If TC were to be offered the job, I think he would take it and rightfully so. However, I don't think they are going to offer to Crean, or at least as the next choice after Barnes. I think they go after Gillispie who seems to be holding the door open that UK offers to him.
If Crean goes, I pray its not Majerius.....we will be in serious trouble 3 years from now. You think negative recruiting against MU every year that TC is going somewhere is bad. Wait til Rick is coach and they say he is just a caretaker for a year or two.
I'm pretty confident that TC doesn't get offered and stays. That may just be wishful thinking though.
My wish is that he stays too. Hard to believe we had a bunch of people calling for his head around March 16th...
Izzo to Kentucky, Crean to MSU
Wow, that would be something.
Over 10,000 on UK rivals site!
Quote from: ChicosBailBonds on April 05, 2007, 11:56:47 AM
Izzo to Kentucky, Crean to MSU
This is my fear as well. I gotta believe Izzo is the very next guy on the list, and the lack of any "I wouldn't be interested" reports to this point makes me wonder.
I don't see Barnes taking it, which leads me to believe Izzo and Crean are the next two logical candidates. Either way, that is anot a good scenario.
Quote from: muarmy81 on April 05, 2007, 11:55:27 AM
My wish is that he stays too. Hard to believe we had a bunch of people calling for his head around March 16th...
"A bunch of people"? Is ~three internet trolls "a bunch"? Stop the madness.
.. speaking of madness, UK message board melt-down in 5...4...3...2..
I'll start by saying I want Crean to stay.
That said, I would almost like Crean to go to Kentucky just so that I could read their Rivals board as the fans reacted to Crean.
Quote from: ChicosBailBonds on April 05, 2007, 11:56:47 AM
Izzo to Kentucky, Crean to MSU
Living here in the Motor City, I would be absolutely shocked if Izzo took the Kentucky job. I believe the only job Izzo would leave for is if he does a money grab and heads off for the Pistons/NBA someday.
Go Warriors and please keep Crean around.
http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/bozich/2007/04/prediction-donovan-will-stay-at-florida.html
Izzo is the only coach that UK can get who has a better resume than Tubby's
Makes sense
So lets shift the topic a bit here. If Crean bolts, who do we replace him with? Other than Majerus? With the buyout of Crean's contract, and amount we have been paying him, could we lure Mark Few away from Gonzaga?
Quote from: mwbauer7 on April 05, 2007, 12:28:23 PM
So lets shift the topic a bit here. If Crean bolts, who do we replace him with? Other than Majerus? With the buyout of Crean's contract, and amount we have been paying him, could we lure Mark Few away from Gonzaga?
gimme stallings. he's a GREAT coach.
but nobody good willl come until MU gets an AD
Quote from: NYWarrior on April 05, 2007, 12:30:32 PM
Quote from: mwbauer7 on April 05, 2007, 12:28:23 PM
So lets shift the topic a bit here. If Crean bolts, who do we replace him with? Other than Majerus? With the buyout of Crean's contract, and amount we have been paying him, could we lure Mark Few away from Gonzaga?
gimme stallings. he's a GREAT coach.
but nobody good willl come until MU gets an AD
lol...Chico's keeps posting this as well. No way Stallings leaves Vandy for MU.
What about Marshall from Winthrop? Some may see that as a step down but he seems like a very good coach that could very well develop in a bigger program like Marquette
To quote Maggie from Caddyshack: Ahhhh geez dat's alllll I neeeedddddd.
Should be an interesting couple of days. I don't see Barnes making the jump. I mean, why? If Crean's offered, I think he's gone. Plain and simple. Gillespie makes a ton of sense. But you never know.
Now we're gonna be back to many posts every day on who the next coach is.
And I'm back to where I was before....no to Rick Majerus. Good guy. Great coach. But health and negative recruiting would kill us. Also, the lack of an AD isn't going to make things easier.
I just hope someone at MU has the number for UNLV's and Vanderbilt's athletic department on hand.
I'd really like to see Marquette take a run at Tony Bennett
Interesting thought on Bennett.
Why no love to Majerus?
From what I am hearing, Crean is off the "list," at least for now. Do you really think he will say yes if he is there 4th or 5th (6th?) choice? Ego's, remember?
No effing way Izzo goes. I'm from MI and he is God there.
Majerus was run out by the boosters already once. He would not want to follow Crean. Plus you may never know when his health might get out of control again.
An outside the box idea, if Crean left, Chris Collins. He's probably still too "fresh", and I'd rather see him on his own first at a mid major D1 program.
I still like Chris Lowery because I love his style of play on the defensive end.
Quote from: MUDish on April 05, 2007, 01:38:18 PM
I still like Chris Lowery because I love his style of play on the defensive end.
I like Lowery too....... but his track record is not substantial enough to get a Big East job. at least I hope that is the case
Well the Tree of Duke coaches hasn't really worked out that well thus far. Plus I'd be reluctant to bring an ACC guy into the fold in the Big East. I think we also may want to consider Hobbs from GW, he plays a great up-tempo game is a former UCONN assistant and Knows how to recruit the east coast where Crean has been focusing of late.
Quote from: NYWarrior on April 05, 2007, 01:42:12 PM
Quote from: MUDish on April 05, 2007, 01:38:18 PM
I still like Chris Lowery because I love his style of play on the defensive end.
I like Lowery too....... but his track record is not substantial enough to get a Big East job. at least I hope that is the case
No argument here. At this point, it's hard to think if we needed to get someone, who would we get with a good, solid resume?
Hell, let's just do what the Cubs tried, "the college of coaches" and bring back Majerus, Deane and KO and let them rotate running the sidelines from game to game?
Right now, not having an AD is a real setback if you're looking for someone who wants to know who is boss is.
What if they want to lure someone who has more complete control? What if they want someone to take on an AD/Head Coach role?
Historically that's been an option for non-football city schools like St. Johns and DePaul when guys like Ray Meyer and Lou Carnesecca were calling the shots.
Not sure if that's realistic these days or within the current Big East.
Could you draw a bigger name if he got more control?
Going from Winthrop to MU would be a step-down? What? Get a hold of yourself.
I don't think Crean will be offered the position at Kentucky. But after all the talk here and since his name is out there, I think he does bolt next year at a higher-profile program. In my view, that would be OK as it would give us time to get an AD even if it hinders recruiting this year.
Quote from: AlumKCof93 on April 05, 2007, 02:44:15 PM
Going from Winthrop to MU would be a step-down? What? Get a hold of yourself.
I can't speak for the original poster, but I think he meant that some Marquette fans would view hiring Winthrop's coach as a "step down" from Crean.
I'm sure I'm naive, but I don't think that there's many jobs out there that Crean would leave Marquette for. He's in one of the top conferences in the country, and Marquette has to be seen as one of the better programs in that conference right now. Crean has a really, really sweet gig. Sure, he'd probably leave for Kentucky or for Michigan State, but I don't think there are
too many programs that are "higher-profile" than Marquette at this time, and the ones that I can think of aren't likely to have openings next year.
Quote from: AlumKCof93 on April 05, 2007, 02:44:15 PM
Going from Winthrop to MU would be a step-down? What? Get a hold of yourself.
I don't think Crean will be offered the position at Kentucky. But after all the talk here and since his name is out there, I think he does bolt next year at a higher-profile program. In my view, that would be OK as it would give us time to get an AD even if it hinders recruiting this year.
Alum, who is he going to bolt for that is a bigger program.....don't see any of those opening up. What job would you think he bolts for?
Agreed, the only two programs I ever saw him leaving for were MSU or Kentucky.
Quote from: AlumKCof93 on April 05, 2007, 02:44:15 PM
Going from Winthrop to MU would be a step-down? What? Get a hold of yourself.
I don't think Crean will be offered the position at Kentucky. But after all the talk here and since his name is out there, I think he does bolt next year at a higher-profile program. In my view, that would be OK as it would give us time to get an AD even if it hinders recruiting this year.
I didnt' mean it would be a step down for the coach I meant it would probably be perceived as a step down for Marquette fans...going from crean to some coach from Wintrhop...Holding myself...
Here's a thought... does MU offer Crean the AD job as well if he stays at MU?? He'd have complete power, more money and that might be enough to get him to turn down the UK job.
I am one that thinks we're screwed if we lose Crean... I was there during the O'Neil and Deane days and I love what Crean has done for the program... recruits, recognizing MU history, the yellow shirts, etc, etc.