Rick Pitino reacts to Billy Donovan Hall of Fame selection, shares hilarious story from days at Providence

When Rick Pitino arrived as the head coach at Providence in 1985, he inherited a rising junior point guard named Billy Donovan. Donovan helped run a Pitino offense that eventually made a run to the Final Four in his second season with the Friars, and it proved to be the start of a longstanding relationship.

In September, the two will be reunited. Donovan will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and join Pitino, who was inducted in 2013. Their bond remains strong – even despite what happened when they’d play pickup games against one another.

Pitino shared a story that illustrated Donovan’s competitive edge. He recalled getting on the court with his star point guard and winning. That is, until “Billy the Kid,” as he calls him, made a major change ahead of his senior season.

“I used to play a lot back then, from the five-star days. … I beat Billy Donovan his first year,” Pitino said on ESPN’s College GameDay Saturday. “He wanted to transfer – he was overweight, 30 pounds – and I beat him 15-0, 15-1, 15-2. We played every single day. Pop Lewis and I, Billy the Kid and Delray Brooks, 2-on-2 at night.

“And then the following year, Billy lost 30 pounds, came back and he kicked my ass. And the rest was history.”

Donovan shined under Pitino’s leadership, becoming a First Team All-Big East selection in 1987 before embarking on a brief professional playing career. He then got into coaching under Pitino at Kentucky from 1989-94.

Donovan then became the head coach at Marshall from 1994-96 and headed to Florida from 1996-2015. Under his leadership, the Gators went 467-186 while winning six SEC regular-season titles and four conference tournaments. They also made four Final Four appearances and, of course, won back-to-back national championships in 2006 and 2007.

But the relationship with Rick Pitino goes back to 1985 when he took over as Providence’s coach. They’ve both come a long way since then, winning national championships during their respective coaching careers – Donovan at Florida, and Pitino at Kentucky and Louisville.

Now that Donovan is heading into the Hall of Fame as part of the 2025 class, Pitino beamed with pride while discussing the historic achievement.

“Billy the Kid has been special to me since 1987. … Billy’s like a son to me,” Pitino said. “I am so, so proud of him, and so excited and happy for him that he’s going to be in the Naismith Hall of Fame.”