Has Billy Donovan Got a Little Captain in Him?

OK, I'm a lousy digital image manipulator.  So sue me.

But I had a point to make with this, believe it or not.  Captain Henry Morgan was a privateer, basically sanctioned to wreak havoc with the enemies of the British Crown during the days of the pirates of the Caribbean.  In the process, he got to keep the spoils of whatever towns he sacked or ships he captured.

What I want to know is this:  Does Billy Donovan have a little Captain in him, or is he happy to to continue his idyllic existence in Gainesville?  We are going to find out very soon.

For some perspective, let's look at other coaches who have fed their inner Captain.  We'll start with Billy's erstwhile mentor and friend, Rick Pitino.  We all know the story - Pitino got an early break from college into the NBA, where he enjoyed modest success with the New York Knicks before being lured to UK.  His success at UK propelled him to another NBA stint at which he failed utterly, only to come to Louisville where he remains.

Now, some may think of Rick Pitino, Mike Montgomery, P.J. Carlesimo and others who jumped from college to the NBA as cautionary tales, but let's be honest - these guys were all trying to do the same thing - command the largest possible stage.  They all had a little Captain in them, modern-day basketball privateers intent on pillaging the competition and keeping the spoils.  Upward, always upward until failure drove them back to port.

The greatest of them all, of course, is Larry Brown, who's legendary coaching skill, and equally legendary gypsy soul, have left him with more different head coaching stints than any other coach in history of his stature.  UCLA, Kansas, Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia, San Antonio, the list seems endless.  He has won championships at every level, but he's a travellin' man.

So how does Billy compare?  After winning his second collegiate national championship in a row for Florida last night, it's easy to see him settling down, signing a lifetime contract with the Gators and becoming Mike Krzyzewski.  They were both about the same age when taking over their respective schools, both Duke and Florida were solid but unspectacular performers on the collegiate level.

In fact, Donovan's career mirrors that of Krzyzewski on many levels, from famous mentor (Rick Pitino and Bob Knight respectively) to lack of early success to back-to-back championships.  They are even very close in time frame - Krzyzewski won his in years 11 and 12, and Donovan in years 10 and 11.

Donovan now has a chance to take the lead of one of the Big Five, interestingly enough, just as Roy Williams did.  The biggest difference is that Williams already coached one of the Big Five, Kansas, before leaving to UNC in 2005.  Williams famously turned down the job in 2000, but got a second chance and took it.

So what will Donovan do?  Will he firmly settle in Florida, as Krzyzewski did in Durham?  Will he turn down the UK job now hoping it may come open later a la Williams?  Or will he join the ranks of Pitino, Carlesimo and Brown in the nomadic search for glory, riches and fame?

What about it, Billy?  Got a little Captain in ya?