Florida basketball: Does Billy Donovan come back to Florida?

ARLINGTON, TX - APRIL 04: Head coach Billy Donovan of the Florida Gators on the court as the Gators practice ahead of the 2014 NCAA Men's Final Four at AT&T Stadium on April 4, 2014 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - APRIL 04: Head coach Billy Donovan of the Florida Gators on the court as the Gators practice ahead of the 2014 NCAA Men's Final Four at AT&T Stadium on April 4, 2014 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – MARCH 17: Head coach Avery Johnson of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts against the Villanova Wildcats during the first half in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 17, 2018, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – MARCH 17: Head coach Avery Johnson of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts against the Villanova Wildcats during the first half in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 17, 2018, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

It’s not like Donovan would be breaking any trends by going from the NBA ranks to college.

Several coaches have gone from NBA failure to the college ranks. The results of those coaches has been mixed at best.

You can look to the SEC and Alabama for a prime example in Avery Johnson.

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Following his playing days, Johnson immediately signed on to be an assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks, then became the head coach after Don Nelson resigned five months later.

He led the Mavericks to a first-round playoff win against the Houston Rockets in his first year and was named NBA Coach of the Year the following season.

Johnson was later fired, went to ESPN, took over the Brooklyn Nets for two seasons, went back to ESPN and landed at Alabama in 2015.

Perhaps the most quintessential mirror of Donovan would be Fred Hoiberg.

The former Iowa State star went to work in the Minnesota Timberwolves front office for three years before returning to his alma mater in 2010.

He did so well at Iowa State that the university awarded him with a 10-year, $20 million contract after three seasons. However, two years later, Hoiberg left for the riches of the NBA to take his first head coaching job with the Chicago Bulls.

But, after three years in Chicago, Hoiberg was fired after a 5-19 start to the 2018-19 season.

In March, Hoiberg returned to the college ranks to take over an ailing Nebraska Cornhusker program desperately seeking success in the Big 10.

Another would be Dan Majerle, who was an associate head coach with the Phoenix Suns from 2008 to 2013 before being named the head coach of Grand Canyon University in 2013 — where he has been since.

The point here is that Donovan returning to the college ranks isn’t out of the realm of possibility.