It's often said that college football, and football in particular, is rife with nepotism. We're not here to litigate that issue today. But one thing is definitely certain: nepotism in coaching isn't limited to football.
A decade ago, Tyler Summitt (son of the late, legendary Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt) landed the Louisiana Tech head coaching position at the age of 24 after two years as an assistant at Marquette. That hire did not end well for anyone involved: after going 30-31 in two seasons, Summitt resigned after it came to light he was having an affair with one of his players. That was the end of his coaching career, at least according to his Wikipedia page.
On Wednesday, Shams Charina of The Athletic reported that the Windy City Bulls, the G-League affiliate of the Chicago Bulls, are set to hire Billy Donovan III as their head coach. That would be the son of Billy Donovan, head coach of the Chicago Bulls.
The Chicago Bulls plan to hire Billy Donovan III – son of Billy Donovan – as head coach of their NBA G League Windy City Bulls team, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Donovan III served as an assistant coach for San Antonio’s Austin Spurs affiliate in 2017.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 5, 2024
The 2015 Florida graduate coached a couple seasons at two Central Florida high schools. His playing career began at Division III Catholic University before transferring to Florida, where he averaged 0.3 points for a 2014 Gators team that won the SEC championship and reached the Final Four.
He spent 2017 with the G-League's Austin Spurs, guest coached for the San Antonio Spurs' Summer League team in 2019 and, according to the Windy City Bulls' website, recently completed his first season as an assistant coach for the team after serving as the big club's video coordinator for the two seasons prior.
Perhaps Trey Donovan, as he's apparently called, is a budding star in the profession and this is the first stop that will ultimately lead to multiple NBA titles. Perhaps he's as qualified as his resume and his last name imply. I don't know.
But what I do know is his old man is 156-162 in four seasons, missed the playoffs in three of those campaigns and lost in five games the one time he did reach the postseason. It doesn't matter how well the Windy City Bulls are coached this winter, if the Chicago Bulls don't improve before too long, both clubs will be looking for a new head coach.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.