He’s no longer Billy The Kid, but Florida coach Billy Donovan is still young in college basketball coaching circles.
Donovan turned 48 on Thursday. He’s the dean of Southeastern Conference men’s basketball coaches, with 17 years of experience at Florida, and 19 overall. But because Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley took a chance on hiring Donovan a few months shy of his 31st birthday, Donovan has managed to put together an impressive resume at a young age.
Donovan’s 450 college coaching wins before his 48th birthday are more than future Hall of Fame coaches Mike Krzyzewski (431), Jim Boeheim (391) and Rick Pitino (354) accumulated before that age.
Here’s a look at how Donovan compares to some coaching icons when they turned 48:
Billy Donovan
Wins: 450
Winning pct: .708
Final Fours: 3
National Titles: 2
Bobby Knight:
Wins: 482
Winning pct: .729
Final Fours: 4
National Titles: 3
Mike Krzyzewski
Wins: 431
Winning pct: .698
Final Fours: 7
National Titles: 2
Rick Pitino
Wins: 354
Winning pct: .734
Final Fours: 4
National Titles: 1
Jim Boeheim
Wins: 391
Winning pct: .759
Final Fours: 1
National Titles: 0
