The UCLA men’s basketball team has officially hired their next head coach and it won’t be Billy Donovan. Instead, the university has chosen to hire Mick Cronin from Cincinnati. The program announced its decision in a press release on Tuesday that they have agreed to a six-year, $24 million contract with Cronin to become the 14th head coach in men’s basketball history. The Bruins fired head coach Steve Alford on Dec. 31 after a 7-6 start to the season. In place of Alford, the program promoted assistant Murry Bartow to interim head coach. We're thrilled to announce that Mick Cronin will become our program’s next head coach. Welcome to Los Angeles, Coach Cronin! 🏀🌴☀️ NEWS: https://t.co/wBvFYog3ep pic.twitter.com/fM065dqda0 — UCLA Basketball (@UCLAMBB) April 9, 2019 In the days since the firing of Alford, Donovan was considered to be a top candidate for the position by many around the sport. Donovan led the Florida Gators to two national championships during his 19 years with the program. The Oklahoma City Thunder head coach was still rumored to be a candidate for the job as recently as March 31 when CBS Sports Network listed him as an option for the vacancy on their Bracket Breakdown show. Despite the rumors with Donovan involving UCLA, it is unclear if he was viewed by the program as a legitimate option or if Donovan would even entertain a return to the college level. Many believe another first-round exit by the Thunder in the playoffs this year could potentially put the fourth-year head coach on the hot seat despite the team picking up his fifth-year coaching option earlier this season. The Thunder were third in the Western Conference prior to the All-Star break but have since fallen to the lower half of the standings. The team dropped as low as eighth but has since climbed up to sixth following a three-game winning streak. They can potentially reach the fifth seed with some help. So, the rumors of Donovan being linked to the UCLA job will officially end with the university hiring Cronin for the position. Donovan is under contract with the Thunder through the 2019-20 season.<doc-sep>The college basketball national championship is on Monday. Former Florida Gators head coach and now Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan explained how he was depressed after winning two titles with Florida in 2006 and 2007. Donovan said winning championships doesn't "change your life one bit," and that the drive for championships made him lose sight of what he valued most. The college basketball national championship is the conclusion of the NCAA Tournament and the entire college basketball season, but the result isn't always what people imagine, according to one former college coach. Billy Donovan, now the head coach of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder and the former head coach of the Florida Gators, explained to reporters on Saturday that when he won two titles with Florida in 2006 and 2007, it ultimately left him feeling empty. "I would say after that experience was over with, I was depressed," Donovan said of winning back-to-back titles. "Because I lost total sight of what it's all about. "I don't mean lost sight in terms of what goes into winning, but the fact that it doesn't change your life one bit. Other than someone may write next to your name 'national championship coach,' 'two-time'— outside of that, it does not change your life." Billy Donovan won two national championships with Florida in 2006 and 2007. Mark Humphrey/AP Donovan's comments came after Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said his legacy as a coach feels incomplete by only winning one national championship. Izzo's Spartans lost to Texas Tech in the Final Four on Saturday. Texas Tech will face Virginia in the national championship on Monday. Donovan said that after winning the titles, he learned what he values most from coaching and competing. "I'm still driven to win championships. I still love doing that, but I have a totally different perspective than I did when I hadn't," he said. He added: "At the end of the day, if it's all about the ring and the trophy, you lose the most valuable thing, and it's the group of people and the relationships that are established of people working together to accomplish something that they couldn't accomplish on their own." Read more: Then and now: What NBA coaches looked like when they were players Watch Donovan's comments below:<doc-sep>Billy Donovan revealed that he felt depressed after leading the University of Florida to the second national championship of his tenure in Gainesville, he told reporters during a recent postgame interview. The Oklahoma City Thunder head coach previously coached at Florida from 1996 to 2015 and led the Gators to back-to-back national championships in 2006 and '07. “I was depressed. I lost total sight of what it’s all about,” Donovan said. “And I don’t mean what it’s all about in terms of what goes into winning, but the fact that it doesn’t change your life one bit, other than someone may write next to your name, ‘national champion coach.’ Outside of that, it does not change your life." “And then what happens is you get to a place — and the first time it really resonated with me was I saw an interview on 60 Minutes with Tom Brady when I think the Patriots had won three of their five Super Bowls and after the third one he asked himself, ‘Is this what it’s all about?’" he added. "Because at the end of the day if it’s all about the ring and the trophy, you lose the most valuable thing, and it’s the group of people and the relationships that are established, of people working together to accomplish something they couldn’t accomplish on their own.” Donovan's answer came in response to a question surrounding comments Michigan State coach Tom Izzo made about needing a second national championship victory to validate his career. Izzo's Spartans reached the Final Four, but lost to Texas Tech in the national semifinal round.<doc-sep>
With the NCAA set to crown a national champion on Monday night, the legacies of players and coaches can be established as Texas Tech and Virginia square off. The NCAA Tournament can bring lofty expectations for many powerhouse schools across the sport. With that, the pressure can be overwhelming for some on the game’s biggest stage. But, as Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan said over the weekend, winning a national championship isn’t necessarily everything. The former Florida Gators head coach detailed perhaps the side of winning that isn’t often discussed. Of course, Donovan spent 19 years in the college ranks as head coach at Florida, leading the Gators to back-to-back national championships and 14 trips to the NCAA Tournament, overall. I would say that after that experience was over with, I was depressed because I lost total sight of what it’s all about. I don’t mean lost sight of what it’s all about in terms of what goes into winning but the fact that it doesn’t change your life one bit. Other than someone may write next to your name, ‘National Champion Coach.’ Outside of that, it does not change your life. The first time it really resonated with me was I saw an interview on 60 Minutes with Tom Brady when I think the Patriots won like maybe three out of five Super Bowls and after the third one, he asked himself, ‘Is this what it’s all about?’ At the end of the day, if it’s all about the ring and the trophy, you lose the most valuable thing and it’s the group of people and the relationships that are established of people working together to accomplish something that they couldn’t accomplish on their own. "I was depressed." Billy Donovan on how he felt after winning his 2nd national championship with Florida. He was responding to a question about Tom Izzo saying he needed a 2nd title to validate his career. pic.twitter.com/Dgq1p5JNfX — Brian Mueller (@BMuellerNews9) April 6, 2019 Donovan offered his comments after Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo stated that he needs to win a second championship in order to validate his career as a head coach. While Donovan certainly coached to win it all at Florida, and now with the Thunder, winning titles isn’t necessarily everything. Donovan feels as though the relationships that are developed working toward that goal trumps everything. Donovan finished 502-206 as head coach at Florida.