A Girl Can Dream, Can't She?

Billy the Kid has just won his second NCAA championship in a row...what will he do now? It won't be Disney World. He'll have to fight off the media to get around Gainesville.

The buzz in the sports world today, especially here in Kentucky, is not just the great victory of the Florida Gators last night but the future home of Coach Donovan. He barely made it off the court last night before the world started asking.... Are you going to take the Kentucky coaching job? Do you want to build your legacy at Florida? Is there a three-peat in your future? The dashing Donovan is slowly becoming the greatest thing in coaching since Rick Pitino...his mentor.

I could pontificate all day on whether he will come to the Bluegrass state or not. There are good arguments for both options. He obviously has it great in Gainesville even though football is king there. And, repeats like this just don't happen all the time, much less the hope of a three-peat (which the Gator fans were chanting as quickly as the media was scurrying to ask Billy his future career plans.)

Kentucky will do all they can to grab him up, it's just unknown right now what his true desire is. I've been a Kentucky fan for a long time. As an only child, I became a sports fan at a young age and would watch countless basketball games with my Dad. My first UK championship experience was in 1978 with Joe B Hall as coach. As a child, my Dad and I cheered the Cats on to victory. I had the privilege of graduating high school with Winston Bennett, former UK basketball star and former assistant to Rick Pitino. When my Dad took pictures at my graduation, he made sure to snap one of Winston going down the aisle with the disclaimer, "Hey he'll be famous one day!"

In recent years, my excitement for UK basketball has waned. Although I loved Tubby Smith as a person and coach of great character, the lackluster play was wearing thin. When Tubby made his exit announcement, part of me was somewhat happy. It's time for a change. Nothing would make this Kentucky girl smile more than seeing the dapper and handsome Coach Billy on the UK sidelines building a dynasty.

As I watched the pre-game show last night, I got a glimpse of Coach Donovan's pep talk in the locker room prior to the game. Is it a coincedence or forshadowing that he used the analogy of horse racing to jazz up his team? Time will tell. Lest you aren't a believer it could happen, don't forget that a few short years ago a slick dressing former UK coach made his home at arch rival Louisville. Stranger things have happened....