Gator basketball coach Billy Donovan has a well-earned reputation as one of the nation’s top recruiters.
Soon, he’ll have the chance to see things from the other side of the couch.
Donovan’s
son, also named Billy, is a sharpshooting junior guard for St. Francis.
And no doubt, he is going to be the focus of a few college coaches in
the next year.
When asked about the different role he’ll play in
that recruiting – similar to the one Urban Meyer recently had for
Georgia Tech-bound volleyball player/daughter Nicki – the head Gator
chuckled a bit and gave the impression he was looking forward to
asking, instead of answering, questions.
“I think the biggest thing
when someone is making a (college) decision is how is he going to fit
in with the coaching staff and the relationship there because that’s
where it first starts,” Donovan said. “And the second part is how does
he fit into the system and the team with what they’re doing.
“And then you look at the academic part of it… what does he want to major in? What degree does he want to get?
“And
then really understanding I think every player that goes through it,
once they get the opportunity, they have to create the experience, so
to speak. He’s got to do that. I think every time a freshman goes from
high school to college, generally the freshman has a lot of ups and
downs, a lot of bumps in the road as a person. There are challenges.
Those are some of the things I think that force you to grow the most. I
tell guys it’s almost impossible to grow without any level of adversity.
“So,
I think I realize if he’s fortunate enough to go and play somewhere,
there are going to be some challenges for him his freshman year, as
there is for every freshman. But for him to grow and develop like he
needs to, he’s going to need to go through that to get better.”
So,
there you have it, prospective recruiters of the Class of 2010 version
of Billy the Kid… Dad sounds like he’ll want to know everything there
is to know about you and your program, but he is more likely to be
understanding and not too hard on you. And like any father, he just
wants what’s best for his child.
“If he does get the opportunity to
get recruited and go somewhere… I think that would be his dream to
play in college, and he wants to do that,” Donovan said. “I would
probably be looking at it from a different perspective than what I go
through.
“But for him the main thing is to be at a place where
he’ll be happy, a place that’s good for him. And ultimately, it will be
his decision to go where he wants and I would try to help guide him
through it. But we’ll wait and see if he does get recruited and what
kind of opportunities are out there for him.”