John Calipari leaving: 5 Kentucky MBB head coach candidates
Billy Donovan
This has been a popular name for Kentucky every time they鈥檝e had an opening and for good reason. Donovan served as a Wildcats鈥� assistant under Rick Pitino from 1989-94, helping coach the team to the 1993 Final Four, so he knows the program well. Since his time in Lexington, Donovan established himself as one of the best college coaches in the nation, going 502-206 with three Elite Eight finishes, a Final Four finish, an NCAA Tournament runner-up finish and two NCAA Tournament championships over 21 years at both Marshall and Florida. He also was the last coach to lead a program to back-to-back NCAA Tournament titles when he led the Gators to the feat in 2005-06 and 2006-07.
However, Donovan has moved on from the college ranks in 2015 and has been coaching in the NBA ever since. While his 397-317 career record and 19-27 playoff record show he hasn鈥檛 had as much success at the professional level, Donovan may not want to leave the Chicago Bulls and return to the collegiate level even at Kentucky.
