Oklahoma City Thunder: Mike Miller talks Billy Donovan, reveals what he told Kevin Durant about his new coach

The slender shooter from South Dakota – nicknamed “Skinny” – picked upstart Florida over all the interested national powers, including Duke, Kentucky and North Carolina.

But people were most surprised that Mike Miller didn’t go to Kansas. KU had the noted basketball tradition and Lawrence seemed to be the environment that jived most with Miller’s laid-back, country personality. But he instead chose sunny Gainesville and a Florida program in rebuild mode.

Jayhawks coach Roy Williams was so perturbed by the decision he accused Florida of recruiting violations and publicly challenged new Gators coach Billy Donovan, whose legend was just starting to explode onto the college basketball landscape.

An ensuing 10-month investigation came up clean. Florida was cleared of any wrongdoing. Miller went with the Gators because he clicked with Donovan and believed in what the young coach was building.