October 6, 2012; Gainesville FL, USA; Florida Gators basketball head coach Billy Donovan watches on the sidelines during the first quarter against the LSU Tigers at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Legendary Florida basketball coach [autotag]Billy Donovan[/autotag] was back in Gainesville this week, and he spent time speaking to the Gators football program.
Donovan is well regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college basketball history, and he spent nearly two decades at the University of Florida. The accomplishments of one Billy are not lost on another.
“It was awesome to have Billy Donovan here the other day to speak with the team,” Florida football head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] said on Wednesday. “I think (it was) a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our players and staff. To listen to a guy who has got tremendous experience, in general, but obviously, 19 years at the University of Florida and accomplished some really significant things.”
Donovan has seen success at both the college and professional level. He’s now entering his 10th year as an NBA coach and will always be remembered for the back-to-back national titles he brought to Gainesville. He spent 45 minutes with the team, telling stories and offering advice without any sort of prompting from Napier.
“He had great insight into what he’s observed throughout the years that he thinks has helped his teams, and kind of the (difference between) good teams and the bad teams,” Napier said. “He talked a lot about the love, care and acceptance of the players.
“One of the things he emphasized was that adversity is our greatest gift; the harder, the better. I think throughout the offseason, you’ve got to embrace that. You have to use that. It’s a way to grow, to improve.
Billy Donovan talks choices with UF football
Another topic Donovan covered was the level of commitment players must make to be successful in college athletics. It’s the small things that make up the big picture and champions consistently stick to the plan.
“We have this illusion of choice at this level of competition, at our conference,” Napier said recalling Donovan’s words. “… You don’t have a choice. If you want to be competitive, if you want to be the absolute best at what you do, you have to be relevant, you have to do the things that separate you from the rest of the competition.”
For the first time since Napier arrived in Gainesville, he has a roster filled with his own guys and some depth at every position. Talent is abundant in the SEC, but getting a player to reach their full potential is far from a guarantee.
“This team that we have has more experience than maybe we’ve had in the last couple of years, but it’s only valuable if we use the experience. So, I think that’s the big message, and he hammered that home yesterday.
“We have to apply the things that we’ve learned. We’ve got to make the necessary changes to try and get a different result in the future.”
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Billy Donovan stops by Florida football fall training camp
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Publish date : 2024-08-07 12:25:00
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