Kruger, Oklahoma face familiar foe in No. 25 Florida (Jan 28, 2017)
NORMAN, Okla.--Lon Kruger built Florida's program.
Billy Donovan turned Kruger's foundation into a consistent college basketball power that eventually won two national championships.
Now, both of those coaches are coaching about 25 miles apart in central Oklahoma, with Kruger at the University of Oklahoma and Donovan with the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder.
"Wouldn't have imagined," Kruger said. "Would not have imagined it."
On Saturday, Kruger's past and present collide when his Sooners host No. 25 Florida as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Current Gators coach Michael White is in his second season at the helm after taking over for Donovan following the latter's move to the NBA. Donovan took over for Kruger in 1996 following the latter's departure for Illinois.
Florida and Oklahoma come into the game on much different planes.
White's Gators are 15-5 overall, breaking a two-game losing streak with a school-record 19 3-pointers in a 106-71 blowout of LSU last week.
Just two games before, Florida had missed all 17 of its 3-point tries in a four-point loss to South Carolina.
"It's crazy," White said after the game. "I wish we could trade a couple."
Oklahoma understands that twinge of regret.
The Sooners are 8-11 overall and just 2-6 in Big 12 play one season removed from a Final Four berth.
While there have been several bright spots--most notably the recent play of freshmen Kristian Doolittle and Kameron McGusty--Oklahoma's inconsistency and tendency to give up big runs has hurt the Sooners repeatedly.
But Kruger is still enjoying the process.
When Kruger took over Florida in 1990, the Gators were struggling with NCAA investigations, coaching turmoil and apathy from their fans.
After steadily building for three seasons, Kruger's Gators reached the Final Four in 1994 and two seasons later he was off to Illinois after a lull.
Donovan's first two teams--like Kruger's final two in Gainesville--missed the NCAA Tournament, but in his third season, the Gators made the Sweet 16.
They did it with two seniors who were key pieces--as freshmen--on Kruger's final team.
"I think Lon came in an established an incredible amount of credibility," Donovan said. "He did it with a lot of integrity and a lot of character and he built the program the right way."
Donovan witnessed Kruger's program-building first from afar while he was an assistant coach at Kentucky during Kruger's rise at Florida, and then from up close as he took over the Gators.
"I know when I came there, Lon was coming off a couple tough seasons," Donovan said. "My first two years were tough, too. But I would tell you this--those kids were really well-coached. They were great guys to work with. They were classy. They did all the right things. And I think with me coming into Florida at that point, I don't know if that would have been ... possible -- what happened after Lon -- had Lon not been there with what he did, in terms of the foundation that he set. I was very, very fortunate to come in after him."
And White, who has the Gators on the way toward their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014, credits Donovan as well.
"We're not going to dwell on the past but we are going to use the past," White told CBSSports.com shortly after taking the job. "Billy Donovan has made this a much better job than it was before he got here."
