ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -Billy Donovan found the opportunity too good to resist: a big payday, a promising team and a job close to home.
“My decision to come here had nothing to do with the University of Florida. … This is a totally different environment,” Donovan said Friday when introduced as coach of the Orlando Magic.
Donovan and the Magic agreed to terms Thursday in a whirlwind deal that turned Florida basketball upside down. For a long time, he was said to be leaving. But he quieted speculation two months ago by declining a job at Kentucky.
Donovan accepted a five-year, $27.5 million contract, which pays more than twice the annual $1.7 million he was making at Florida, an official in the NBA told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal hadn’t been completed.
He and the school were working on an extension that would have given him a smaller raise and could have been announced as early as next week.
Donovan replaces Brian Hill, who was fired after two consecutive losing seasons. Hill’s ouster followed the Magic’s first playoff appearance in four years, which ended in the first round against Detroit.
The 42-year-old Donovan built a budding dynasty in Gainesville, taking the school to its first national championship in 2000 and winning the title the last two years. He has been a head coach for 13 seasons – two at Marshall and the past 11 with the Gators.
In Orlando, Donovan will try convert that college success into a pro championship – a notoriously difficult feat in the all-business NBA.
Donovan said one priority was finding a player who can score from the perimeter to help All-Star Dwight Howard and 7-footer Darko Milicic. General manager Otis Smith said he was looking for “someone who was going to help our young team become better basketball players.”
Donovan was known for that at Florida.
“Billy Donovan has been here for 11 years, won two national championships,” Florida president Bernie Machen said Thursday at the Southeastern Conference’s annual spring meeting in Destin. “He’s been a great ambassador for the University of Florida. We’ll always love Billy Donovan, whether he’s here 11 years or 21 years.”
Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley also emphasized there were no hard feelings.
“We certainly wish this run could have gone on forever. It’s been an incredible privilege to be a part of. We’re indebted to Billy Donovan,” Foley said in a statement. “We hired him 11 years ago to build Florida basketball and he did that beyond anyone’s expectations. We’ll miss him as a coach, but we’ll always be friends and remain close to Billy and his family.”
Donovan is leaving a Gators team that is losing its top seven scorers after the season, including potential top-10 NBA picks Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer.
In Orlando, Donovan inherits a team without a single first-round draft pick – or much veteran experience. Orlando is rebuilding around Howard, a third-year player who made his first All-Star team this season, and counting on bigger contributions from Trevor Ariza and J.J. Redick.
The Magic intend to re-sign free agent Milicic, who flourished despite an injury in the playoffs, but he still has to prove his NBA value.
A big question mark for Orlando is whether Grant Hill will return. The often-injured star’s contract expired this season, and he could retire or chase a title elsewhere. If Hill leaves, it would open much salary-cap room for a skilled offensive player.
Donovan has shown he can improve even mediocre programs. At Florida, a traditional football school, he made it to the NCAA title game three times in his 11 years. He led the Gators to nine straight 20-win seasons, nearly doubling the amount it had before his arrival. Florida won three SEC championships under Donovan after getting just one in 77 years previously. He became the winningest coach in Florida history on Dec. 20 and now has 261 victories.
With the Magic, he’ll face a similar challenge. Orlando hasn’t been out of the first round of the playoffs in a decade.
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AP Sports Writer Mark Long in Destin, Fla., contributed to this report.
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