Wow, I'm a little surprised
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2826756

4/5/2007 12:30:14 PM

I'm not

4/5/2007 12:31:52 PM

i'm surprised he's already made his decision

4/5/2007 12:33:19 PM

I'm not

4/5/2007 12:36:10 PM

Quote :

"Source: Donovan will stay put as Florida coach"

source

4/5/2007 12:36:40 PM

it'll be official this evening

4/5/2007 12:41:04 PM

I'm not surprised at all, this was the smart thing to do.

4/5/2007 12:42:17 PM

Source: Barnes to accept NC State coaching position



Source: Calipari to accept NC State coaching position

4/5/2007 12:44:40 PM

panthro

4/5/2007 12:45:42 PM

yeah, i'm not suprised

4/5/2007 12:52:27 PM

i'm not too suprised

he didnt sound too interested when it first came out in the press

4/5/2007 12:54:06 PM

Not suprised, thought it might get announced at the celebration tommorow evening....
But, IF this is in fact true, I'm glad us Gators don't have to wait another day...

[Edited on April 5, 2007 at 1:01 PM. Reason : oops]

4/5/2007 1:01:32 PM

ok, so would it be more or less of a surprise IF he would have sworn up and down that he wasn't leaving florida?

4/5/2007 1:02:01 PM

im surprised. Kentucky is a premier program ....


Florida sold out 1 non conference game as the defending national champs.

4/5/2007 1:04:56 PM

Yeah, but Florida has a solid football program to help take some of the heat off of him in down seasons. Tubby Smith never had a bad team while he was at UK, won a title, and still was run out of town. Why take all that added heat for no reason when you can remain under the radar on rebuilding years and be a serious contenders on a regular basis? Plus he's now getting recognition as one of the premier coaches in the nation. By staying he can put his name up there with John Wooden, Dean Smith, and Mike Krzyzewski as a coach that helped build a program into a national power. I'm not saying he'll reach those results as Woodens number of titles is likely to never be touched in this era, but he's already won the same number of titles as Smith, and is only one back of coach K. Plus at only 41, he's got plenty of time left in his career.

4/5/2007 1:34:01 PM

^^ College athletics is changing. It is getting to the point where the only premier programs are football powerhouses. If you asked a Florida or Ohio State fan what national championship they would rather win before Monday's championship game, football or basketball, is there any question how they would answer? Is that answer a good thing for college basketball? This will become more apparent in the next 5-10 years I think. From Donovan's point of view, he can be a big-money coach with his salary partially paid by Florida's football revenue, and he does not have as much of a social glare cause basketball will always be second fiddle to football in Gainesville. If he went to Kentucky, he would be constantly in the social glare. I think today's college coach would rather have comfort than prestige.

Not to say schools like Kentucky, or their peers that can care less about football, like Indiana, Duke, and North Carolina, will no longer be relevant to basketball. But I think we're coming up on a point where basketball schools that don't make big football money are going to decline in stature just cause big football schools will have a whole lot more money to spend and throw around on their basketball and other sports if they desire.

One of the clearest signs of that to me was Gail Goestenkors leaving Duke for Texas. College coaches don't make lateral moves unless they're feeling pressured and about to be forced out (i.e. Herb, Tubby Smith). Goestenkors definitely was not being pressured out of her job. So what other reason could there be for her switching jobs other than a lot more money? It's not like Duke makes a lot of money in sports despite the continued success of their men's basketball team, there's no way Duke money can match Texas money.

[Edited on April 5, 2007 at 1:41 PM. Reason : ^]

4/5/2007 1:38:17 PM

Quote :

"I think today's college coach would rather have comfort than prestige."

When I read shit like this on here, I just gotta roll my eyes.

Sure, it's an opinion, and everyone is entitled to theirs, but what the fuck is it based on?

Do you know what it is like in coaching circles and college athletics at the coach level? Have you been in the situation? Do you know a lot of college coaches? How does one arrive at such an asinine conclusion as this one?

4/5/2007 1:43:49 PM

I think redirish hit the nail on the head. Basically, there is too much pressure at Kentucky. No shocker here.

4/5/2007 1:51:25 PM

Quote :

"When I read shit like this on here, I just gotta roll my eyes. Sure, it's an opinion, and everyone is entitled to theirs, but what the fuck is it based on? Do you know what it is like in coaching circles and college athletics at the coach level? Have you been in the situation? Do you know a lot of college coaches? How does one arrive at such an asinine conclusion as this one?"

Observation of what coaches do.

Tubby Smith willingly left Kentucky for Minnesota. I doubt he took much of a pay cut.

Mike Krzyzewski stayed at Duke rather than go to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Greg Schiano stayed at Rutgers rather than go to the University of Miami. (RUTGERS!)

Matt Doherty took his dream job, leaving a comfy Notre Dame job where he would never get any criticism despite the challenge and the fanbase's decrying of his hiring, and paid for it dearly with the players having meetings with the AD at the behest of the alumni. He wound up at that basketball power Florida Atlantic.

We could not find a basketball coach for awhile cause coaches thought the fanbase had too high of expectations. (conventional wisdom) We eventually got our fifth choice.

Alabama could not find a football coach cause coaches thought the fanbase and the university had too high expectations. They eventually settled on a lower choice and were shocked that the coach of West Virginia would turn down the "mighty, awesome, great Alabama job".

All college coaches at BCS conference schools make big money nowadays. So if you're presented with money and coaching Florida (comfort cause they care about football over basketball), or money and coaching Kentucky (prestige cause everyone in Kentucky cares about basketball, and get hounded everyday because of it), I think most college coaches would take Florida.

[Edited on April 5, 2007 at 1:57 PM. Reason : .]

4/5/2007 1:51:30 PM

Quote :

"College athletics is changing. It is getting to the point where the only premier programs are football powerhouses. If you asked a Florida or Ohio State fan what national championship they would rather win before Monday's championship game, football or basketball, is there any question how they would answer?"

now honestly... how would unc students answer??? or even nc state students???

"I" would say basketball

4/5/2007 2:03:34 PM

Basketball is so much a part of North Carolina that that doesn't surprise me. I'm a Clemson fan and would much rather have a football national championship than a basketball.

4/5/2007 2:09:29 PM

landon!?!!!

4/5/2007 2:11:50 PM

Quote :

"now honestly... how would unc students answer??? or even nc state students??? "I" would say basketball "

Was UNC or NC State in the basketball championship game?

No, two football schools were.

Football has become overwhelmingly predominant over basketball in financial terms, and we're getting football schools spending part of their football money to buy basketball success. What I'm asking is it good to have football-first schools win championships in college basketball. Florida or Ohio State could win the basketball title ten years running, it will never pass football at either campus. I'm willing to bet money that a Florida alum would rather win the SEC East Division in football than the national championship in basketball. I work with a Virginia Tech grad that truly believes that. I asked him what he thought about the Hokies' great season in the ACC. His response: "Don't care. It's not football." He said most VT fans feel the same way. Would you consider it a good thing if that kind of school won the ACC basketball championship?

Maybe I'm in a minority, but I don't think it's a good thing long-term for fan interest that schools and fanbases that can care less about a sport are able to buy a championship by throwing money around on coaches and facilities from another cash cow.

[Edited on April 5, 2007 at 2:40 PM. Reason : .]

4/5/2007 2:15:02 PM

I'd like to think that State, while being a historic basketball power, has right now the type of fans that love both sports. I know I love both equally. I love the great tailgating at Carter-Finley, and the feeling of the sun shining down on me in the stands during a mild Autumn Saturday. I also love the constant noise in basketball games, the excitement felt throughout the RBC Center when a player throws down a nasty dunk, and all the traditions that goes on throughout the game.

4/5/2007 2:32:31 PM

We are a historic basketball power? Wow, thats new to me.

4/5/2007 2:38:32 PM

I would think any school that:

Has 2 championship
Produced the greatest college player of all time
Invented the "cutting down the nets" tradition
Founded the most prestigious conference in the nation

Could be considered a historic basketball power.


But I realize you are just trolling, so I'll let it go.

4/5/2007 2:47:13 PM

well, florida is probably nicer geographically as well

4/5/2007 3:03:09 PM

^^I actually wasn't. And I don't think anyone outside of NCSU would consider us to be a basketball power.

4/5/2007 3:08:07 PM

I was not suprised....


III

4/5/2007 3:08:55 PM

some writer on espn or si.com wrote an article on the whole football revenue issue, i dont feel like trying to find it, but it's there

[Edited on April 5, 2007 at 3:16 PM. Reason : sp.]

4/5/2007 3:15:52 PM

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=2821623&sportCat=ncb

4/5/2007 3:17:49 PM

^^^^ He said "Historic basketball power"


as in, you know, times that aren't specifically now.

[Edited on April 5, 2007 at 3:18 PM. Reason : []

4/5/2007 3:18:42 PM

Princeton is an historical football power if that means anything.

4/5/2007 3:25:54 PM

notice I said "historic" basketball power. we are still a power program, despite being down for around 10 years and rising back up in national recognition during Herb's final five years and appearing to have a expected hiccup year in Sid's first. we have the fans, the tradition, the facilities, and now we've got a pretty darn good coach too who has a great staff in place as well. you don't just build a 19,722 seat basketball arena (and don't bring up the Hurricanes, b/c the plans for a new arena were already in place, they just helped us speed up the building of it) if you don't have some kind of rabid fanbase and history to your basketball program. basketball powers often have a history signing McDonald's All-Americans. seems this year we'll have two on our team, three if you count Sidney. basketball powers have national championships, keyword being the plural of championship. georgetown is considered a historic basketball power and only has one, same goes for Syracuse. we have the third most ACCT championships, just behind two of the most historic basketball programs ever, one of which just passed us not too long ago in the ACCT championship category. the next closest school is Maryland who is considered a basketball power, has only 3 ACCT championships and one national championship. what do you know Maryland has a nice, large arena that they play in too. to say we aren't a "historic" basketball power is just plain dumb.

we are still relevant, unlike Princeton. someone find that article ranking the top basketball programs where it lists us just inside the top 10.

[Edited on April 5, 2007 at 3:31 PM. Reason : ]

4/5/2007 3:29:58 PM

Quote :

"So if you're presented with money and coaching Florida (comfort cause they care about football over basketball), or money and coaching Kentucky (prestige cause everyone in Kentucky cares about basketball, and get hounded everyday because of it), I think most college coaches would take Florida."

Honestly, I'd disagree with that. To get to the point Donovan has gotten to, you have to be completely driven by competition and challenges. Kentucky is the grandest stage in all of college bball arguably and is a challenge given the fanbase. I'm surprised he didn't take it.

As far as our place in history. Top 15. I think the program that most mirrors us is Louisville. They are the second team in their state, they have a very rabid fanbase for bball, and a very nice athletic budget. Though I do think Louisville has more prestige, simply because they've had more success (many, many more Final 4's) and have been more consistently good than us.

[Edited on April 5, 2007 at 3:31 PM. Reason : x]

4/5/2007 3:30:53 PM

id just rather live in florida than kentucky... oh that and i just won back to back national titles with my team

/THAT specific argument

4/5/2007 3:40:06 PM

They were talking on ATH the other day about how Kentucky isn't what it used to be. Kids today don't view it as being one of the basketball powers, and they even said right now, Florida is the better program. Sure Kentucky has tons of tradition, but they have been sliding since they won their last championship.

4/5/2007 3:41:56 PM

the office you just get on here to talk junk constantly. We are ranked in the top 10-15 as a basketball tradition school. get over it. go pack.

4/5/2007 8:05:15 PM

let's tailgate

4/5/2007 8:08:56 PM

Quote :

"I think today's college coach would rather have comfort than prestige. "

If this were true, and I'm not convinced, it wouldnt be applicable in this situation. Billy Donovan was the first coach to 2-peat in 15 years. he has all the prestige in the world. Maybe you meant college coaches now a days would rather have comfort while trying to get their prestige, and that is a very possible mission where you play 2nd fiddle to football.

4/5/2007 8:20:54 PM

OMG, Donovan is a total pussy

4/5/2007 8:51:04 PM

he's a little bitch

4/5/2007 8:56:43 PM

To the question asked earlier, I'm a Florida alum, and I'd take a basketball national title any day over a football SEC East title, or even an football SEC championship. Given the choice of which national title I'd rather see them win, I'd take football, as most alumni at SEC schools (except Kentucky) would.

Florida will be rebuilding next year, but they'll be at least a top 10 team again in 2-3 years.

4/5/2007 9:40:14 PM

Barnes said no with the swiftness, that is two public rejections in less that 24 hours

[Edited on April 5, 2007 at 10:35 PM. Reason : .]

4/5/2007 10:28:33 PM

not quite going to the magic

6/1/2007 8:27:38 AM

peace UF.

thanks for the easy wins.

- the sec

6/1/2007 10:24:09 AM

Quote :

"We are a historic basketball power? Wow, thats new to me."

I don't recall anyone mentioning Georgia State community college in this thread....

6/1/2007 11:33:09 AM

i like basketball better but i've always wanted to win in football more. winning a national championship in footbal means more in the sport also.

if you win in basketball it just means you got lucky and won 6 games in a row. you have to win like at least 12 or 13 games probably in a row to win a football.

its more of an accomplishment.'

more people want to live in the state of florida than anywhere else/thread

6/1/2007 11:58:21 AM

Quote :

"more people want to live in the state of florida than anywhere else/thread"

34 million Californians, 21 million Texans, and 19 million New Yorkers disagree.

6/1/2007 12:37:12 PM

Quote :

"i like basketball better but i've always wanted to win in football more. winning a national championship in footbal means more in the sport also. if you win in basketball it just means you got lucky and won 6 games in a row. you have to win like at least 12 or 13 games probably in a row to win a football. "

my fucking god this guy is an idiot

apples and organges--cant compare the two

6/1/2007 1:32:52 PM