Billy Donovan Lands A Raise From Gators
GAINESVILLE (CBSMiami/AP) - Florida Gators basketball coach Billy Donovan has his team poised to win another national championship this year and it's helped land him a raise from the school.
Donovan signed a three-year contract extension last month that pushed his average salary over $3.7 million for the final six years of the deal, which ends after the 2018-2019 season.
The Gators (34-2) have won a school-record 28 consecutive games while making the Sweet 16 for the fourth consecutive year. Both are the longest current streaks in college basketball.
Florida became the first team in SEC history to go 18-0 in the regular season. Donovan's senior-laden team also won the SEC tournament and earned the NCAA tournament's overall top seed. The Gators beat Albany and Pittsburgh to advance to the round of 32 in the South Region, where they will face fourth-seeded UCLA on Thursday night in Memphis, Tenn.
Florida's success this season already has triggered several contract bonuses for Donovan.
Donovan earned $50,000 for winning the SEC regular-season title, $25,000 for winning the SEC tournament and $75,000 for advancing to the Sweet 16. He also gets $50,000 for the top-ranked Gators finishing in the top 10 in the final Associated Press poll and $25,000 for being named the AP's SEC coach of the year.
Those bring his total to $225,000 — and there could be more.
The NCAA bonus would increase from $75,000 to $100,000 if Florida makes the Final Four, and Donovan could get an additional $150,000 for winning the national championship.
Donovan also would land another $50,000 if he's named AP national coach of the year.
Despite his 18 years in Gainesville and his recently extended contract, the 48-year-old Donovan refuses to call himself a college "lifer." He said last week that he's still intrigued by the NBA.
Donovan briefly left the Gators to take the head coaching job with the Orlando Magic in 2007. He changed his mind a few days later, returned to Gainesville and has been there since.
"When you try to project where your future is, where you're going to be, and you don't know because I don't have a crystal ball, all I can say is I am happy here at Florida. I love being here. The NBA part of it, the intrigue part of it for me, is just the fact that it's basketball 24 hours a day. That's all you're dealing with is basketball."
Donovan said it's difficult to not be around college players for long stretches during the summer, adding that coaches have "a lot of other things" to deal with all the time.
That makes him at least consider coaching at basketball's top level.
"When you say a lifer, that means to me I'm never, ever going to go anywhere and be there," he said. "Who knows? They may get sick of me at Florida and want me to move on. But I don't like coming out making bold predictions or statements. I would say I'm extremely happy with my life right now at the University of Florida."
(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)