Met a girl here in NYC last night who is in ABC network corporate ad sales and her boss the Director of ABC ad sales is none other than Billy D's cousin who speaks often to him. The girl I was speakiing with (at the bar) is not that much of a sports fan but she told me that her boss spoke with BD and because of his family he is going no where. That is a direct comment also made by one writer that Bill posted last week who said the same exact thing as the reason Donovan is staying at Florida. Now I am certain this girl did not read this anywhere as she is not a sports fan so I believe that her boss did in fact tell her this straight from Billy D himself. He is staying at Florida.
MCG That's good to hear and I hope it is 100% true, accurate. FYI, got out on the water for a little while last Saturday and found a few smallish trout, two keeper reds 20-21", and probably a half-dozen undersized reds. We didn't get going until about 3PM and by then the wind had picked up to ~20 out of the NW. We tried the flats on the north end of North Key but the wind just made it a little tough to drift and hold spots when we found fish. We threw some shrimp-tipped yellow jigs on oyster bars around North Key and then back inside, north of the State Museum, and that's where we caught the redfish. From talking with a few folks earlier in the day, it sounded as though people getting out before the wind kicked up had been finding silver and speckled trout, reds, and spanish mackerel. I suspect we'll start to see the kings and some blue fish running through in April. I'm planning three days of intensive fishing over Easter Weekend.
Thanks for the fishing report Gaterz. Can't wait to get out there myself in May. Throwing jigs is a great way to catch fish in that kind of fishing environment. Wonder what a DOA would do?
He has a big buyout that has to be covered. I think I've read it's in the neighborhood of 2.5 million dollars.
Missing the NCAA every year means missing out on lots of money. Besides, 2.5 mil. isn't much for a school that had players making 400G.
I think this article says it all about how the landscape has changed in college basketball. Big school programs like Ohio State, Fla and Texas all have great basketball programs, more are on the way. The old line traditional basketball schools can't generate the revenue that the football schools can. Probably Kentucky can because of the 25K arena that is always sold out, but even Duke which has a relatively small arena, can't generate the revenue. UNC also has a huge sold out arena, and with the hire of Butch Davis figure to return to the glory days of Mack Brown in football. The conclusion here is that in 1997 the Fla basketball coach would have walked to Kentucky to get the job, not so much in 2007. Football Schools are now gearing up in Basketball
Creigthon BlueJay Coach to take the Ark job. Calipari turned it down yesterday. He's had a good program at Creighton and unlike Heath who had only been a HC at the Div1 level for a year before he took the Ark jobl, Altman is an veteran coach who has paid his dues.
I've been saying that right along. Kentucky fans seem to think they can outspend the Gators for Donovan because they are a top basketball program with a large facility. But there is no way they can do that because of the revenue our football team brings in every year. I hope that Billy stays at Florida because he loves being a Gator and there is something to be said to be around excellence in more than your sport. But if it comes down to $$$$$ then they won't be able to out bid us. Gator Bill
I'll leave Daffy off here, but here's another article about Billy Donovan and whether he stays at Florida or moves to Kentucky. Billy Sounds Like He's Staying Gator Bill
Kentucky is arguably the Notre Dame of basketball when it comes to tradition but, with that said, I can't imagine him wanting leave UF on the heels of what he has built down there. Of course $$ is powrful aphrodisiac 8)
""There's a feeling in my heart that's very strong about Kentucky because I had my first opportunity to coach there through coach Pitino and my time there was very, very enjoyable," Donovan said. "But that was a while ago -- being removed 13 years. It's not like I'm removed two years. For me, I obviously know Tubby and I know some of the people that are still there, but a lot over 13 years has changed that I'm not familiar with." The last sentence seems to indicate Donovan has a problem with the way Tubby was treated. Good.
That's a big turn of events Don. Creigthon is good mid-major program and he was making a million dollars a year, they had a new arena and good attendance as well. But at Arkansas the potential was much greater. He said it was family considerations, whatever that means.
Now Huggins (KS) may return to Morgantown. If he does some of his top recruits may really be upset. Beasley for one! Don
Huggins to Morgantown. I don't know he's got some talent comming in at KState...but he's a WVU grad and former player so who knows.
That would be the end of WVU's grad rate. I don't he ever had a player graduate in his tenure at UC. :lol:
Updated: April 5, 2007, 12:38 PM ET Donovan will stay put as Florida coach Billy Donovan, three days removed from leading Florida to a second consecutive national championship, will remain the Gators' coach and not make himself available to interview for the opening at SEC rival Kentucky. Donovan told Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart early Thursday morning by phone that he wasn't interested in leaving Florida. Florida athletics director Jeremy Foley told ESPN.com that he and Donovan also met Thursday. In recounting that meeting, "He said, 'This my home, Jeremy. I love the University of Florida. I love you. I had a chance to talk to [wife] Christine and I'm not going anywhere." Donovan and Foley will discuss terms of a contract extension for the coach after Donovan returns from a planned week-long vacation to the Dominican Republic. Donovan will leave the country Saturday. "Obviously we've been talking," Foley said. Donovan has two years remaining on his contract. "Friday is about the celebration [for the title] and then he's [vacationing]. This is where he wants to be." Barnhart left a message for Foley on Wednesday seeking permission to talk to Donovan, but Foley did not want a Donovan-Barnhart conversation to occur until speaking with Donovan himself. The Wildcats will now move on in their search to find Tubby Smith's replacement. Their search likely will start with Texas' Rick Barnes and possibly include Michigan State's Tom Izzo, Marquette's Tom Crean, Texas A&M's Billy Gillispie and Gonzaga's Mark Few. If Barnes and Izzo are not interested, it's not expected to get past the other three if offered. Meanwhile, the four Florida juniors -- Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer and Taurean Green -- may make their announcements that they're leaving school to enter the NBA draft either later Thursday or Friday prior to Florida's on-campus celebration of winning the national title. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2826756
Amazingly enough there are STILL UK fans SURE that ESPN will end up with egg on their faces. :roll: I used to think Terry's brothers in Austin were the most arrogant around, but now I'm thinking they have some serious challengers! 8)