Grant me a wish...

Billy "The Kid" Donovan is headed to Orlando. Not for vacation after his second national title in a row. He's the next head coach of the Orlando Magic.

But that's not the only news.

Virginia Commonwealth coach Anthony Grant has been tabbed as the probable replacement to Donovan in Gainesville after VCU's successful 2006-2007 campaign. Grant coached the Rams to a second-round appearance in the NCAA Tournament by way of a colossal upset of sixth-seeded Duke in the first round. He took over after Jeff Capel bolted for Oklahoma.

Grant was an assistant under Donovan in Florida's first title run in 2006. Grant guided VCU to a 28-7 record. But the program was built by Capel.

And now Grant is probably headed to Florida, where Donovan has already (obviously) built a winner.

I met Grant in Buffalo when he and his coaching staff scouted Pitt. Pitt was lambasting 14th-seeded Wright State in its first round game. VCU lost to Pitt in the second round, in overtime, 84-79.

But I was certainly impressed by Grant (and his coaching staff) both in action, at the press conferences and while he sat next to me scouting Pitt. Grant is a straight-forward guy. He doesn't mess around. He shows no fear, no nerves, no anxiety. He is serious. He is honest. And he is one of the most poised coaches I've ever met or heard at press conferences.

And I've seen Jim Calhoun, Rick Pitino, John Thompson III, Jamie Dixon, Ben Howland, Coach K, etc., etc.

A lot of people were saying that Grant, who is 41, would probably replace Donovan when Billy decided to test the NBA waters. But no one was expecting Donovan to test them so soon. The 42-year-old boy wonder has done everything he can in college hoops. There isn't much else to do. And the personnel decisions aren't all on him anymore. He has the GM and front office to help with that. So you can't blame him for trying.

In the meantime, Grant's ticket to the top tier of coaching will probably be punched far sooner than we thought. And he deserves it.

Grant could very easily be among the great coaches before his days at Florida are over. He knows how to prepare his team. He knows how to carry himself. He knows how to win. And if Florida hires him, he won't need time to build a winner. Billy Donovan built the winner.

Grant will just keep bringing home titles. And I don't think there is a better guy for the job.