Kentucky Basketball: 8 potential candidates to become next HC if John Calipari leaves

Billy Donovan

Any coach who wins a pair of national championships from one of Kentucky’s rivals is certainly going to get their attention. The Wildcats will certainly swing for the fences with a rare head coach opening and there’s every reason to believe they’d be intrigued by luring Donovan back to the college game.

Donovan played and coached under Rick Pitino at Providence and later with the Wildcats in the early 90’s. He was then head coach at Marshall before a nearly 20-year run at Florida, winning those national titles in 2006 and 2007. Since leaving the Gators, Donovan has spent the last nine years in the NBA, helming the Oklahoma City Thunder and now the Chicago Bulls. He hasn’t had overwhelming NBA success but did lead Florida to four Final Fours and a ton of SEC success.

Bringing back a former assistant with NBA experience and a championship pedigree is a home run hire every day of the week. The first question is about Donovan’s willingness to return to the college level after nearly a decade working with the pros. If he was willing to leave the Bulls then it’s a sensible move for both parties. Even with a decade passing, Donovan has had great success in this conference and in building a consistent winners and he knows how to handle the pressure and bright lights of Kentucky.