Stepping into 88 Blessings Recap

The love mothers have for their child is indescribable by words. No matter the circumstances their family is in you can count on the mother to find a way to make it happen. Over the weekend Erica Wilson held the inaugural event of her 88Blessings foundation that’s geared towards helping single moms.  Ms. Wilson is the mother of Jacksonville Jaguars newly re-signed wide receiver Allen Hurns. She is a single mom that pushed her son to follow his dreams and she’ll take care of the things he couldn’t control.

A portion of the event dedicated to honor Hurns resigning to a new 4-year/40 million dollar deal. The amount of the contract hasn’t changed the person Hurns has been his entire life. He is humbled and appreciative of the deal. “Its only the beginning” Hurns utters as fans congratulate him on the success. Special guest Drew Rosenhaus (Allen’s Agent) gave a few remarks on Erica and Hurns relationship, “I never seen a mother/son relationship like this; I wish me and my daughter grow to have a relationship like there.” The unconditional love between the two is what drove Hurns to work hard to gain this substantial amount in the contract.

An silent auction was held to raise money for the foundation. Thousands of dollars was raised for the foundation to kick-off their charitable duties. 

It was a marvelous event to honor 88 single mothers throughout the state of Florida. The mothers were showered with gifts and recognition of their hard work and dedication to their respective families. Jacksonville native and American Idol contestant Tyanna Jones added a stellar performance of Fantasia’s Lose To Win song. Her voice led many of the audience members to become emotional with tears of joy. The song empathizes what single mothers go through to make sure their family have the essentials of everyday life.

The Billy Donovan Era

            Scott Brooks was fired by the Oklahoma City Thunder after 7 years and Billy Donovan’s name soon came up as the potential coach to replace him. After a couple days of rumors & speculation, Donovan signed on to be the new head coach for the Thunder for about $30 million over 5 years.

            It’s tough that Billy Donovan is leaving UF but it was expected as he had multiple opportunities over the years to jump to the NBA and he & the Gators just came off a down year in which they missed the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1997. Donovan will go down as a legend in Gators sports history for what he has been able to achieve with the basketball program. In a landscape where there are fewer & fewer Coach K’s or Bobby Bowden’s and more college coaches are constantly changing jobs & leaving programs behind for greener grass, Billy Donovan was the man in charge of Gators basketball for almost 20 years. He elevated the program to long-term success in the same way Steve Spurrier did when he took over the football program. 467 wins, 16 20-win seasons, 6 SEC championships, 4 SEC tournament championships, 4 Final Four appearances & 2 national titles. Gators basketball started with Billy.

            The opportunity to coach OKC along with 2 of the best players in the NBA is once in a lifetime and anybody would jump on that. Although the Gators will have to rebuild & find new talent along with a new coach after losing McDonald’s All-American Chris Walker & 3-point specialist Michael Frazier, it will be exciting to see Billy Donovan face off against his old players in the NBA. Older guys from the early 2000’s such as Udonis Haslem, Mike Miller, Matt Bonner & David Lee. Also, the younger guys from the back-to-back national championship teams & on such as 2014 Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah (one of my favorite players in the league), Corey Brewer (1^st triple-double in Gators history), 2 3^rd overall picks in Al Horford & Bradley Beal, Chandler Parsons, Nick Calathes & Marreese Speights.

            Billy Donovan will be considered as the best coach in Gators sports history and leaves behind almost 20 years of his legacy & fingerprints not only on the basketball program but on the University of Florida. I think we can find a spot in front of the O’Dome in the future for a statue in his honor.