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FLORIDA'S BILLY DONOVAN EARNS JIM PHELAN MID-SEASON HONORS
Jan. 6, 2006
 The
Florida Gators entered January with a perfect 12-0 mark, which is the best
start in school history and the twelve wins are the most for a Gator team
before January. The record-breaking start to the 2005-06 season has earned
Billy Donovan the Jim Phelan mid-season coaching honors.
After opening the season with wins over St. Peter’s and Albany, the Gators
had two impressive performances in New York in the Coaches versus Cancer
tournament. Donovan’s club downed Wake Forest in the semi-finals and came
back the following night to beat Syracuse in the championship game.
And with each win the Gators have been more impressive.
“I think most people expected the Gators to be a Top 10 team, he has them
playing like it’s March,” said CollegeInsider.com’s Matt Drake who is on
the 20-member voting panel. “Despite all he has accomplished I still don’t
believe he gets enough credit.”
Donovan has guided the Gators to seven straight NCAA Tournament
appearances and seven straight 20-win seasons. The University of Florida
had only five 20-win seasons and five NCAA Tournament appearances in the
77 years prior to Donovan's arrival.
In 2000 Donovan guided the Gators to their first appearance in the
National Championship game. En route to the Championship game, the Gators
became the first program to defeat both Duke and North Carolina in the
NCAA Tournament.
Donovan received five first place votes and 43 total points. Ohio State’s
Thad Matta was second with 31. Illinois Bruce Weber (29 points), Duke’s
Mike Krzyzewski (24) and Memphis’ John Calipari (20) round out the top
five.
The CollegeInsider.com Coach of the Year award was renamed in honor of Jim
Phelan who retired at the end of the 2002-03 season. The Jim Phelan Award
is presented annually to the National Coach of the Year. Previous winners
include Mark Slonaker (Mercer, 2003), Phil Martelli (St. Joseph’s, 2004)
and Tubby Smith (Kentucky, 2005).
Last season Iowa’s Steve Alford received mid-season honors.
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| MID-SEASON VOTING
RESULTS (first place votes in parenthesis) |
| |
|
Coach |
School |
Points |
| |
|
|
| Billy Donovan |
Florida |
43 (5) |
| Thad Matta |
Ohio State |
31 |
| Bruce Weber |
Illinois |
29 (1) |
| Mike Krzyzewski |
Duke |
24 (2) |
| John Calipari |
Memphis |
20 (2) |
| Jay Wright |
Villanova |
19 (3) |
| Roy Williams
|
North Carolina |
16 (3) |
| John Giannini |
La Salle |
14 (1) |
| Karl Hobbs |
George Washington |
13 |
| Andy Kennedy |
Cincinnati |
13 (1) |
| Dale Layer |
Colorado State |
10 (1) |
| Lute Olson |
Arizona |
10 |
| Jeff Bzdelik |
Air Force |
7 |
| Lorenzo Romar |
Washington |
7 |
| Bruce Pearl |
Tennessee |
6 |
| Greg McDermott |
Northern Iowa |
5 |
| Herb Sendek |
North Carolina State |
5 |
| Mark Few |
Gonzaga |
4 (1) |
| Tommy Amaker |
Michigan |
3 |
| Rod Barnes |
Mississippi |
3 |
| Dana Altman |
Creighton |
2 |
| Brad Holland |
San Diego |
2 |
| Stan Heath |
Arkansas |
2 |
| Tom Penders |
Houston |
2 |
| Tom Izzo |
Michigan State |
1 |
| Jeff Ruland |
Iona |
1 |
| Jim Whitesell |
Loyola-Chicago |
1 |
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