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Ten reasons Travis Ford is better than Billy Donovan
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AP Photo/Al Behrman
10. Skill - Travis' coaching staff would probably drag the current Cats in a pickup game.
Fact: Travis Ford holds the current UK records for three pointers in a season (101,) career three-point percentage (.445,) assists in a game (15,) consecutive free-throws made (50,) and is second all-time in career three-pointers made (190 - Cameron Mills) and career free-throw percentage (.882 - Kyle Macy.) Travis also has to his credit two Southeastern Conference championships, three Southeastern Conference tournament titles, and a Final Four. Travis is also a two-time All-SEC player, two-time SEC tournament MVP, three-time SEC Academic All-American, and an NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Player. Travis' jersey will hang in Rupp someday whether he coaches at UK or not, and nobody Travis Ford recruits is likely to have a better career than he did - and that's important when you're recruiting blue-chippers. In this category, John Pelphrey already has Billy Donovan faded as well.
9. Track Record - Travis actually won his legendary college basketball game.
Fact: Travis Ford's 1994 UK team won a game at Louisiana State in which it trailed by 31 in the second half, with, believe it or not, Walter McCarty drilling a three-pointer off a Ford assist triggering the comeback run. You can now purchase this game on DVD at Amazon.com. Nobody even remember who drilled Providence in the Final Four in 1987, or who they beat to get there. For the record, it was Syracuse, and Georgetown, respectively.
8. Integrity - the names that come to mind? Teddy Dupay and Mike Miller.
Fact: Dupay shocked the world when he chose Florida over every major college basketball program in America, and was eventually forced out of Gainesville due to a gambling investigation in which even his teammates stated he was using a student bookie to gamble on college sports, including Florida games, which carries a penalty of lifetime banishment. Dupay is now in the Utah justice system for alleged sexual assault. As for Miller, then-Kansas coach Roy Williams was so angered by Donovan's tactics in the recruitment of Skinny that he actually turned in Florida for not one but five NCAA violations over this one player, for which Florida was eventually cleared, but about whom questions remain to this day. Kentucky's history with the NCAA does not allow for gray areas in recruiting or issues such as Dupay, or questions about the amateur status of players with overseas roots: see Christian Dreijer. Billy Donovan's reputation was built on the backs of these players.
7. Class - The entire NCAA isn't dying to catch Travis Ford cheating.
Ever wonder why Billy couldn't replicate that 04 class? Everyone's watching now:
6. Big Blue Roots - Billy: Rockville, NY. Travis: Madisonville, KY.
Fact: Travis Ford grew up dreaming of wearing the Kentucky jersey, and when he was unrecruited by Eddie Sutton, went on to become a Big Eight All-Conference selection as a Missouri freshman before taking the opportunity to transfer home to rescue his point-guard needy childhood favorite team. I'm not sure what Billy believes in, but it apparently isn't Kentucky. Maybe it's the Orlando Magic? UK Basketball needs a coach for whom the job is the pinnacle of the profession. Travis Ford believes that. Billy Donovan obviously does not.
5. Taste - Billy Donovan signed Matt Bonner. Nuff said? I give you Matt Walsh.
Nuff said.
4. Style - Travis' hair looks more like Jimmy Johnson's.
Fact: Billy Donovan uses more hair gel to hide his hair loss than Travis Ford uses hairspray to keep his in place. Seriously - all other things being equal, take the younger coach who will be around longer.
3. Panache - Travis' smart-aleck comments are actually funny.
I can't prove this, but anecdotally, Billy Donovan gets on everyone's nerves. Isn't that one of Billy Gillispie's major sins? Everyone seems to like Travis Ford, not unlike another thirty-nine year-old basketball coach who looks good in Armani. Travis Ford's college teammates called him Doogie, as in Howser. Billy's called him Billy the Kid, as in gun.
2. Location - Billy went to the Final Four out of nowhere. Travis did it with everyone gunning for him.
Fact: Everyone saw Kentucky coming in 1993, with All-Everything Jamal Mashburn dominating the post, All-SEC Freshman Rodrick Rhodes at forward, sharpshooters Dale Brown, Tony Delk, Jared Prickett and Jeff Brassow, human anti-gravity machine Andre Riddick, who absolutely broke Geert Hammink's spirit with 11 blocked shots against LSU in the SEC Tourney, and Travis arguably the best shooter in college basketball at the time. Donovan's first trip to the Final Four was via a shocker over Georgetown. His first as a coach came from nowhere with a bunch of (admittedly heralded) young players after the departure of a team that should have gotten it done but didn't. And his third was a gift from players who ordinarily would have been in the NBA but didn't need the money.
1. Guts - Billy, try doing it at a school where basketball matters.
Fact: Back-to-back NCAA titles aside, two consecutive trips to the NIT at Kentucky will get you fired. Hell, ask Tubby Smith - two consecutive trips to the Round of 32 might get you pushed out. Additional fact: there is no Wikipedia page for Providence University basketball. Yet another fact: Billy Donovan is reportedly still enraged from time to time at the empty seats in the O'Connell Center. Does anyone know what color the seats are in Rupp Arena? That's because you've never seen one on TV, and you can't get in the gym unless your grandfather left you tickets in his will. Ultimately, Donovan doesn't have the guts to measure himself against the game's greatest challenge. And that's what makes even Eddie Sutton a better coach than Billy Donovan will ever be.
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