Bulls’ Donovan ‘Really Happy’ for Gators’ Basketball Resurgence

PHOENIX — On the eve of the NCAA tournament, former UF and current Bulls head coach Billy Donovan shared his thoughts on this year’s Florida men’s basketball team.

“I mean, I was really really happy for them,” the former UF coach said before Chicago’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.  “I wish I could see more games than I did with our season going on.”

Donovan was the Florida men’s basketball coach from 1996-2015 before accepting the Oklahoma City Thunder head coaching position. Despite it being nearly a decade since his departure from Gainesville, he remains in touch with the UF program.

“There’s still a lot of people inside the athletic department, even in the basketball facility, that were around when I was there,” Donovan said.

He won back-to-back national titles in 2006 and 2007, as well as making Final Four appearances in 2000 and 2014. He coached the Thunder from 2015 to 2020. Since then, he’s been the head coach of the Chicago Bulls.

The top-seeded Gators will open the NCAA tournament on Friday against No. 16 seed Norfolk State at 6:50 p.m. ET in Raleigh, North Carolina.

“To see them get a No. 1 seed and to see them be in a position to really maybe have a great run in the tournament,” Donovan said. “Certainly, I’m very excited for all of them.”