Former SEC basketball coach Billy Gillispie reinstated by Tarleton State
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Billy Gillispie has been reinstated as Tarleton State’s head basketball coach after being placed on temporary leave.
The program released a statement on Monday saying a review was conducted after a complaint had been made. The nature of the complaint was not publicly revealed.
We’re thankful to the Texas A&M system for working expeditiously in addressing this anonymous complaint,” Tarleton State athletic director Steve Uryasz said in a statement Monday. “The welfare of our student-athletes is of the utmost importance to Tarleton State University and the Texas A&M System. We look forward to the start of the Texan men’s basketball season.
Gillispie, who turns 66 next month, is well-traveled as a coach.
He coached at Texas A&M from 2004-07, before the Aggies made the move to the SEC. Gillispie took A&M to the NCAA Tournament in 2006 and 2007 before left to take the Kentucky job, succeeding Tubby Smith.
At Kentucky, Gillispie only coached 2 seasons before his firing. He notably never signed a formal contract at Kentucky, coaching only on a Memorandum of Understanding. The Cats were 18-13 under Gillispie in 2007-08 and 22-14 in 2008-09.
Overall, Gillispie has a 226-182 record as a college basketball head coach. That includes a 70-26 record with the Aggies before going 40-27 at Kentucky. He is 78-74 at Tarleton State.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaign of Fred Taylor.
