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 campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
