Gillispie, Kentucky part ways
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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.
Originally Posted by SicEmBaylor
