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Frozen Sooner
3/27/2009, 02:06 PM
Gillispie, Kentucky part ways
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ESPN.com news services

Billy Gillispie is out as coach of Kentucky in his second season at the helm, and the school has called a 4:30 p.m. news conference to announce the change.

On Thursday, a day after Kentucky's season ended with a loss to Notre Dame in the National Invitation Tournament quarterfinals, Gillispie remained committed to his job.

[+] EnlargeBilly Gillispie
Andy Lyons/Getty ImagesBilly Gillispie's Kentucky Wildcats missed the NCAA tournament but advanced to the quarterfinals of the NIT.

School officials have been quiet about Gillispie's job status after the Wildcats tumbled through the second half of the season to finish 22-14, tied for the second-most losses in the program's 106-year history.

University president Lee Todd said recently Gillispie's position would be evaluated at the end of the season. Todd attended the loss to Notre Dame but did not respond to requests for comment by The Associated Press on Thursday.

Athletic director Mitch Barnhart was planning to meet with Gillispie, though the coach said during his radio show Thursday night no meeting had been scheduled.

When asked after the loss to Notre Dame if he expected to be back, Gillispie said the decision wasn't up to him.

"You're asking the wrong guy," he said. "All I know is to go to work, recruit, coach and that's what I did, that's what I've done and that's what I'll continue to do."

Gillispie was 40-27 two seasons into a seven-year deal with Kentucky that pays him a base salary of $2.3 million annually.

Averaging 20 wins a year is respectable to most places. He knows most places, however, aren't the home of college basketball's all-time winningest program.

"A lot of teams would be happy with 22 [wins] but not always around here when it's not the right 22," Gillispie said during his radio show.

Kentucky's 20 regular-season wins weren't enough to get a bid into the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1991.

The Wildcats imploded down the stretch, losing eight of their final 11 regular-season games despite having two of the top players in the Southeastern Conference in center Patrick Patterson and guard Jodie Meeks.

Gillispie took most of the blame for Kentucky's struggles, but not all of them. He pinned a two-point loss to LSU on an unnamed player he inserted into the game sometime in the second half. His seemingly random substitution patterns seemed to mystify the 24,000 assistant coaches who pack Rupp Arena every winter.

A sometimes testy relationship with the media hasn't helped. He endured a couple high-profile run-ins with a female TV reporter during the season, not exactly the kind of behavior some expected from the state's highest-paid employee.

Though he's said his job is to win games, not be a celebrity, coaching at Kentucky means more than having a tireless work ethic or making the NCAA tournament.

Former Kentucky coaches Rick Pitino and Joe B. Hall became beloved for their ability to win while serving as an ambassador for both the state and the university.

Doing both isn't easy, but it's sometimes required.

"That's a fine line," said Hall, who now co-hosts a daily talk show with former Louisville coach Denny Crum. "There have been coaches before that won that weren't good ambassadors and had long tenures. I guess it's the combination of the two."

Buying out Gillispie's contract would cost around $6 million, and that doesn't include the millions the Wildcats would have to lavish upon a new hire.

Kentucky made overtures to Florida coach Billy Donovan two years ago, and some parts of the fan base would jump at the chance to lure Pitino back from archrival Louisville.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Looks like we may land Orton after all.

OUstud
3/27/2009, 02:18 PM
Bye Travis Ford?

badger
3/27/2009, 02:46 PM
The Other People dot com board has been "cheering" for Kentucky ever since the NIT started cuz of the Travis Ford speculation. I find Ford to be a travesty, but nothing to the degree of Sean Sutton. Maybe they should hire Sean-boy since he's a UK alum too? :D

When you look at OU's recent coaching changes, they were made for the right reasons - lack of player control and production after three seasons (John Blake, football), lack of progress after five years (the Hawaiian guy who coached volleyball), resignation after non-compliance with NCAA rules (Kelvin Sampson, basketball), resignation after off-field issues (Larry Cochell, baseball). Thus, they were replaced by a rising coordinator that led OU to a championship (Bob Stoops), a great coaching mind that could recruit (Santiago Restrepo), a coach with local and player ties that took them to the playoffs (Galloway) and a rising young coach with a solid collegiate career as a player (Jeff Capel).

UK replacing a coach after two years because they missed the NCAA and only won a few games in the NIT is not a solid excuse, unless Billy himself resigned. Get used to losing UK. You aren't gonna get a solid coach with a recent coaching track record like this.

tommieharris91
3/27/2009, 02:56 PM
Bye Travis Ford?

Nope. (http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news/032709source_donovan_leaving_UCF)

badger
3/27/2009, 03:02 PM
I had previously speculated that Billy Donovan could leave because he hasn't been able to match previous glory achieved with his all-NBA team, but wow!

So now it all makes sense - new Billy asked UK if they would give him the job and the solid fanbase that goes with the UK program, then UK ousted old Billy to make way for new Billy.

Thus, new Billy (Donovan) will have the things Florida could not offer him - history, tradition, legacy, a solid fanbase and recruiting ground. UK will get all the things old Billy (Gillispie) could not offer - a history of solid recruiting and postseason success.

Annnnnd... old Billy (Gillispie) will get what he desired all along - privacy to be a grumpy guy... and buyout money!

boomersooner28
3/27/2009, 03:08 PM
All of this smells. I really never liked Kentucky, but now I really don't like Kentucky.

badger
3/27/2009, 03:25 PM
You know who smells more than Kentucky in all of this? Donovan. He has shown absolutely no dedication or loyalty to the University of Florida through all of this, and while I would lean toward hatred of the gator after last January, it still reeks of opportunism.

Donovan rides the coattails of an all-NBA team to two titles. A hamster running on his happy little spinny wheel could have led those guys to the title those years.

Donovan then bolted for the NBA and money with his all-NBA team... for five days. Realizing that Orlando was a dead-end job, he jumped back on the Gator train.

Now, he's in a coaching slump after the best two seasons of his life. After leading Florida to NCAA trips ever since 1999, he's NIT bound again.

After a few seasons of realizing that it's not gonna be that easy to get to the championship again like it was with his all-NBA team, he's going to a place where he can recruit another one, much like Slick Rick used to.

Stinky, stinky, stinky. Throw him and Kentucky in th garbage together. Hefty! Hefty! Hefty! ;)

TopDawg
3/27/2009, 03:33 PM
If Mizzou wins one more game, they'll have their eye on Anderson.

They might already.

oumartin
3/27/2009, 03:41 PM
The last african american coach there dent like it. But maybe anderson would b different

badger
3/27/2009, 03:43 PM
The last african american coach there dent like it. But maybe anderson would b different

I think they'll be looking for another Adolph before they look for another Tubby.

Sooner04
3/27/2009, 03:52 PM
http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/888/770982.jpg

Odd body shape there, Mr. Clyde. Almost Dorf-esque.

http://www.lowculture.com/archives/images/dorfongolf.jpg

8timechamps
3/27/2009, 03:53 PM
All of this smells. I really never liked Kentucky, but now I really don't like Kentucky.

Props 28, you called this weeks ago.

I still think the Zags Mark Few may be somewhere in the mix.

tommieharris91
3/27/2009, 03:56 PM
http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/888/770982.jpg

Odd body shape there, Mr. Clyde. Almost Dorf-esque.

http://www.lowculture.com/archives/images/dorfongolf.jpg

Not this dorf?

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/08ATenK9rl6gi/340x.jpg

Sooner04
3/27/2009, 03:59 PM
Why does he have a hickey on his elbow?

Or is that bruise from when he went all "Macho Man" Randy Savage on some gal and dropped the big elbow on her from the top rope?

TopDawg
3/27/2009, 04:02 PM
I think they'll be looking for another Adolph before they look for another Tubby.

Poor seasons will do a lot to change a fan base's attitude. If Anderson can eliminate those, I think he'll find Kentucky a nice place. If he can't, he'll probably like it even less than Tubby. The good news for whoever goes there is that they'll find it a less demanding place than when Tubby arrived.



Also, did you know...Adolph's first three national titles came against Big XII teams: Baylor (48), OSU (49), KSU (51).

8timechamps
3/27/2009, 04:05 PM
Poor seasons will do a lot to change a fan base's attitude. If Anderson can eliminate those, I think he'll find Kentucky a nice place. If he can't, he'll probably like it even less than Tubby. The good news for whoever goes there is that they'll find it a less demanding place than when Tubby arrived.



Also, did you know...Adolph's first three national titles came against Big XII teams: Baylor (48), OSU (49), KSU (51).

That was my point in compairing it with Blake coaching OU football. If Stoops would have come in and gone 7-4 then 8-3 in his first two years, he would have been loved almost as much as he is now.

Whoever gets in there is going to have a step up on what Tubby went through.

badger
3/27/2009, 04:16 PM
I agree that winning can endear you to a program quickly (much like Bob Stoops' championship in 2000 allowed him to be placed in the same sentence - and t-shirts - as Bud and Barry).

I was not referring to Adolph or Tubby in the winning sense, though. What I meant was that they're going to find a guy that the boosters view as a traditional coach that can stay until the now-defunct "retire at 70" state law that will recruit Kentucky boys first and drive them to a pulp in practice and on court.

Funny - that almost perfectly describes former Wisconsin coach Dick Bennett. Dick's son Tony now coaches out in Washington State. Could that happen?

lexsooner
3/28/2009, 03:18 PM
I think UK's first priority in finding a coach is he must understand and be able to thrive in the role as UK basketball coach, a job which is probably like few in the country. The amount of scrutiny from fans, press, alums, former players, administration, etc. is unmatched anywhere. Gillispie came to UK with the intention to do one thing - coach basketball. He is an introverted, unpolished, non-sociable person who just wants to watch game films and run his team, public be darned. He never understood nor was he willing to bend to the requirement that he placate the big list I just described. He showed up and in two years managed to offend and put off the local press, former players, administration including the AD Barnhart, fans, you name it. Over time it became clear: Billy G was a bad fit for UK. He was in over his head as coach. He did not have the off-the-court qualities to do the job. He would have been fine at Aggieville or a school without the tradition and attention like UK. But at UK he just did not fit in, and he made it clear he was not going to change, which sealed his fate after two years. Of course he did not help with all the rumored drinking and possibly dating a young stripper, but even that did not do him in. I have no doubt if he could have done the other things, they would have given him another couple of years.

The UK job is up in the air, as far as I know. Billy Donovan has already said he is not interested. If that is true, it is because he coached at UK and knows what a thankless job it is. Capel's name is out there, as is Anderson's, Calipari, Ford, Horn, and a bunch of others. Regardless, this time around they will pick a guy who understands what this job entails. We will see. Let's hope Capel realizes the good deal he has at OU, and sticks around. Believe me, being a black coach at UK is an issue with many, while it is a non-issue at OU.

OhU1
5/3/2009, 11:41 AM
Lex were you one of those guy's who dumped trash in Gillespie's lawn and put a "for sale" sign in front of his house? Damn fanatical UK fans! :D

badger
5/4/2009, 08:00 AM
Resurrecting a long-dead thread, eh OhU1? It's ok - it was a funny situation. They paid dearly for Cali, they probably won't win the titles UK fans desire... but we can offer a fond, hearty farewell to Memphis' status as basketball powerhouse. To alter an infamous Simpsons quote...

Who are you?
THE TIGERS!
Who are you gonna beat?
Not as many C-USA foes as before :D