Donovan, who guided Florida to its second straight national championship on Monday night, told Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart early Thursday morning that he was not interested in the Wildcats lucrative coaching position.
That means Kentucky will have to look at other candidates, with Crean at or near the top of the list.
Two things are certain. You're going to hear people who say that Crean is absolutely going to take the Kentucky job. And, you're going to hear people say that he's staying.
Although the smart money says that Crean will stay, it's going to be interesting to watch this play out.
The Kentucky job is generally regarded as among the top five in college basketball, along with North Carolina, Kansas, Duke and UCLA. But, it comes with a great deal of pressure. Just ask Tubby Smith, who was fired after making the tournament every year during his reign in Lexington.
Crean has a hefty salary, a solid nucleus of players, a new practice facility, a Big East affiliation and a lot of power at Marquette. It would be hard to imagine him leaving -- unless the offer came from a place like Kentucky or the NBA.
Donovan, who no doubt will get a hefty raise from Florida, decided that it was best to stay with the Gators and it's hard to blame him. He's got a good thing going there and some promising recruits on the way. He's got at least a 10-year honeymoon coming after giving the football-crazy school a pair of championships.
Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
