Playing Career
Donovan was born and raised in Rockville Centre on Long Island, New York. He is the son of Bill Donovan, Sr., one of the three leading scorers in the history of the Boston College Eagles men's basketball program. Donovan graduated from St. Agnes Cathedral High School—a local powerhouse where he was coached by the legendary Frank Morris—in 1983 before going on to Providence College, where he played guard on the basketball team. His first two seasons with the Friars were unimpressive; he scored an average of two points per game as a freshman and three points as a sophomore. His junior year, however, Donovan flourished in the system of new head coach Rick Pitino. "Billy the Kid," as Providence fans soon nicknamed him (after the 19th century outlaw), averaged 15.1 points as a junior and 20.6 as a senior, when he led the Friars to the Final Four and earned the Southeast Regional Most Valuable Player honors.
Donovan was drafted by the Utah Jazz in the third round (68th overall) of the 1987 NBA Draft. He was waived after the preseason and played briefly for the Wyoming Wildcatters of the Continental Basketball Association. He then signed a one-year contract with the New York Knicks, coached by Pitino. Donovan averaged 2.4 points and 2.0 assists over 44 games with the Knicks.
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