After how rough Florida’s men’s basketball season was, Monday was probably the happiest day Billy Donovan has had in the last year.
Anthony Grant is coming home.
Florida hired Grant to be Donovan’s assistant coach after Matt McCall was hired away by Tennessee-Chattanooga on Sunday.
Grant and Donovan have a well-documented history, and their careers will likely be linked for the rest of their lives.
The two were assistants at Marshall together from 1994-96, along with assistant coach John Pelphrey, and the staff quickly became close friends.
They all understood basketball, loved the sport and had a passion for coaching.
When Donovan picked up his phone in 1996 and heard UF athletics director Jeremy Foley on the other line asking him to help build Florida into a perennial basketball power, Donovan couldn’t imagine doing it without Grant and Pelphrey.
Grant would coach at Florida for 10 seasons until 2006, when the first of two National Championships marked the start of Grant’s phone ringing off the hook.
There were head coaching jobs available, and Grant was a prime candidate.
He’s relatable, compassionate yet firm with his players, and Donovan provided the necessary endorsements.
Grant was hired by Virginia Commonwealth University in April 2006, and he was thrilled to have his first head coaching job.
He worked hard on the recruiting trail to bring talent to Richmond, securing the services of future NBA players Eric Maynor and Larry Sanders.
In his first season, casual fans learned his name when his undermatched VCU squad knocked sixth-seeded Duke out of the NCAA Tournament in the first round.
So when Alabama needed a head coach in 2009, Grant was the ideal candidate.
He knew the Southeastern Conference and he knew the area.
The job was his.
But something didn’t work out in those six seasons with Grant at the helm.
There were injuries, off the court incidents, and on the court letdowns.
In 2012, the Crimson Tide made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006, but fell to Creighton on a last-second heartbreaker in the second round.
Who cared if Grant – a parent’s coach, who you could trust to guide your kids – was a good guy if Alabama wasn’t winning?
The blame fell on his shoulders, and he expected it. Coaches know what they sign up for.
How fitting that Grant’s final game at Alabama was against Donovan, who had been there with him through it all.
After all, the Gators were the only SEC team that Grant was winless against.
Following the game, Donovan said that it would be a "big mistake" if Alabama were to let go of Grant.
"I don’t think people have any idea how great of a coach Anthony Grant is," Donovan said on March 12.
"He took over a very challenging and difficult situation. He had a couple of very talented players that really went through some disciplinary problems."
Fifteen minutes earlier, Grant had just walked off that same podium.
He had just been asked if he had given any thought to whether he would be back on sidelines at Alabama next year.
"Haven’t given it any thought," Grant said calmly into the microphone.
But he must have.
Look at the situation Grant was in.
It’s difficult to enjoy your job when you face consistent criticism, regardless of your profession.
After the loss, Grant went home to his home in Tuscaloosa and sat down with his wife, Christina.
He wanted to spend time at home with his family next year.
He wanted to move back to Gainesville, even if it didn’t mean coaching.
Fortunately for Donovan, next year’s Gators, the fan base and students, he’s back coaching at the one place that truly feels like home.
There’s no place like it.
Follow Graham Hall on Twitter @Graham311
Billy Donovan looks down the court during Florida's 66-49 win against Tennessee on Feb. 28 in the O'Connell Center. Donovan will be named the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
During the Billy Donovan era of UF basketball, the Gators went from pretenders to annual national title contenders. Donovan capped his illustrious career by becoming the second-youngest coach to win 500 games at the collegiate level before deciding to head to the NBA to become the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Here's Jordan McPherson's game story on the milestone win (http://www.alligator.org/sports/football/article_94b217d2-844a-11e5-8f45-db4dc66bc8e8.html) and Richard Johnson's feature looking back at Donovan's first career victory (http://www.alligator.org/sports/basketball/article_9689ab94-b8ce-11e4-a82b-5f0651981129.html).
