5 possible replacements for Rick Pitino at Louisville

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 09: Head Coach Rick Pitino of the Louisville Cardinals directs his team against the Duke Blue Devils during the quarterfinals of the ACC Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 9, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

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4. Billy Donovan

Donovan is entering his third season as head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder and after finally making the jump to the NBA there’s no sign he wants to leave. But whenever a major college job comes open Donovan will be a rumored candidate until further notice, due to his long run of success at Florida and two national titles on his resume.

Donovan is also uniquely tied to Pitino. He played for Pitino at Providence, including a run to the Final Four in 1987, the joined his former coach’s staff a Kentucky from 1989-1994 before taking his first head coaching job at Marshall.

Donovan sees Pitino as his mentor, and the biggest influence on who and what he has become as a coach. It’s worth noting the Thunder have pushed some significant chips into the middle of the table for this season, by trading for Paul George and more recently Carmelo Anthony. Russell Westbrook has also not yet signed a contract extension, so he could join George on the free agent market next summer. The longer Westbrook postpones signing his extension, Donovan could start thinking about his own future beyond this season.

Donovan is a bit of a long shot for Louisville, all things considered. But his relationship with Pitino makes it a unique opportunity to go back to the college ranks.