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Billy Donovan's 28 former players recognized during the Florida-Vanderbilt game Saturday. (ZACH ABOLVERDI/Lake City Reporter)
GAINESVILLE — Florida coach Mike White told his players before Saturday’s game that nothing mattered more than beating Vanderbilt.
But there was an elephant in the room and NBA stars in the building.
UF was set to honor legendary coach Billy Donovan by naming its court after him, and 28 of his former players returned to the O’Dome for the halftime dedication.
“It’s just really emotional for me and I’m really humbled,” Donovan said of seeing his name on the floor. “To be honored in this way and then have so many people come back, it really means the world to me.”
White wasn’t sure of how the day would be structured or where Donovan’s players would be sitting during the game, but he had concerns about how the setting would affect his team.
“I didn’t want the freshmen looking over, whether it be shootaround or an hour and a half before the game,” White said, “and they see Al Horford or Joakim Noah.”
Or Bradley Beal, a two-time All-Star who was snubbed in this year’s game despite averaging more points (29.1) than any non All-Star in NBA history. Beal was one of just two one-and-done players during Donovan’s 19 years at Florida, helping the Gators reach the Elite Eight in 2012 before getting drafted third overall by the Washington Wizards.
“I would say he’s the best coach I ever played for, for sure,” Beal said of Donovan, who’s in his fifth season with the Oklahoma City Thunder. “It was a father-son relationship we had. Everyday talks, constant communication. Even to this day, we stay in constant communication even though he’s on a Western Conference team.
“He lured me in from day one. … We had a relationship from sophomore year all the way up until I came here. It was just unbelievable. He’s the reason I am who I am today.”
Florida’s Tre Mann called Beal one of his favorite players. As White feared, the freshman spotted Beal before the game sitting behind press row along with the other former Gators.
“It was kind of cool,” Mann said.
But he and his teammates weren’t star-struck or distracted by their presence, nor did they feel pressure to play well for Donovan. While White was “a little bit” worried about that being the case, he also anticipated all the hoopla giving his team a competitive advantage.
“I thought celebrating Coach Donovan, his staff, his former players, the championships, the naming of the court, the whole deal, would bring a lot of positivity into the environment and electricity,” White said. “Our guys definitely fed on that. I thought it helped with our defensive energy, especially in the first 20.”
The Gators jumped out a 29-point lead and held Vandy to 19 first-half points — the fewest allowed before the break this season — en route to an 84-66 victory, their fourth straight win over the Commodores. In the final seconds of the half, Mann hit a stepback 3-pointer on the press row side.
After draining the shot, Mann turned toward Beal and the other players and blew them a kiss with three fingers raised as he ran into the locker room.
“The shot just happened to go in right there, so I knew they were behind us,” Mann said. “So I just did something to show them a little love.”
Noah Locke led UF with 19 points and made six of his eight attempts from 3-point range. Kerry Blackshear Jr. (15 points) and Keyontae Johnson (11 points) also scored in double figures.
White’s pregame message about staying focused on Vanderbilt resonated, but Locke admits it was hard to do sometimes. During the under-12 timeout in the second half, all of Donovan’s players took to the court to be recognized.
Following their group photo, Brooklyn Nets guard Chris Chiozza — who played for both Donovan and White — joined Florida’s huddle.
“When the guys came on the floor and they came toward the bench, we tried to stay locked in,” Locke said. “We had to worry about winning the game. So many great guys came in, Billy Donovan was back and there was just so much we could get distracted on. You gotta fight through that and I feel like we did.”
Perhaps no one fought through those distractions more than Mann, who grew up in Gainesville and attended a game with his grandmother to watch one of Donovan’s teams. White warned him before the game there would be a lot going on.
“I didn’t know it was going to be this big tonight,” Mann said, “but it was big. I was just happy to be a part of it.”
How big? For the first and only time, the Gators weren’t the main event in their own arena.
“I’m just so glad, on a night the University of Florida and Gator Nation is honoring Billy Donovan that we were able to get a win. Absolutely,” White said. “Did that come into our minds? Yeah. This was a big night for our athletic department and Coach’s legacy, so for us to simply win this game was big.”