Max, you are so right. Gillepsie is in an almost can't win situation. Oh well, the guy is unmarried without kids and it is his whole life, perhaps. BTW, UT might now win a national champinoship in bball as A & M was actually a real threat to recruit some Texas players UT wants. I doubt that will happen again for a couple of years, regardless of who A& M gets as a replacement.
Part of a much longer good article Now, on to Gillispie. Once Wildcats fans -- YouTube guy, this means you -- get used to typing an "i" rather than an "e" between the double-ls and the "s," they're going to feel extremely fortunate to have landed the fastest-rising star in the coaching ranks. Gillispie has consistently proven himself as one of the best-prepared coaches in all of college hoops, attacking scouting and game-planning with the same ferocity that his teams play pressure man-to-man defense. For an SI feature in March, Gillispie acknowledged to Kelli Anderson his plan to watch 15 tapes of a regular-season opponent was overkill, but nonetheless his M.O. "Three or four tapes would probably accomplish the same thing," he said. "But I really enjoy watching basketball." And more than anything else he enjoys coaching, so much that he admitted to SI his life is "imbalanced" -- to the degree that he is divorced, has no pets, has no food in the fridge, and has little time to concentrate on anything other than the job at hand, which now is returning Kentucky to the ranks of the elite. In a national landscape where new-era powers like Florida and Ohio State have risen up, and fellow history-rich programs such as North Carolina and Kansas are more stable, reviving UK will not be a simple or stress-free task. To preserve his sanity, Tubby Smith divorced himself from the program and high-tailed it to Minnesota. Because he knows no other way, Gillispie will marry himself to the job full-time. Perhaps that's a self-destructive lifestyle, but it's something the legions of ultra-obsessed bluebloods will immediately appreciate. Just as important to making this hire work is the fact that Gillispie comes in with a manageable level of expectations. He has not yet been to an Elite Eight or Final Four, but he has quickly resuscitated his first two teams, taking UTEP from 6-24 to 24-8 in two seasons, and Texas A&M from 0-16 in the Big 12 to second place in the league in three seasons. Kentucky is not in such doldrums -- "This program got turned around like 2,000 years ago, and it's been turned around ever since," he said on Friday -- but plenty of its fans consider being a No. 8 seed for two straight NCAA tournaments akin to being winless in the Big 12; so he is in a partially familiar situation. While it's unclear what the future holds for Donovan, I'm certain that Gillispie's best days are in front of him. He only began to recruit serious, blue-chip prospects at A&M in the past two years, but was on the brink of making the Aggies a perennial presence in the top 15. The signs of a powerhouse-in-the-making were all there. Gillispie's reputation was as a defensive teacher, but he was blossoming as an all-around coach, as A&M was the only team in the nation to finish in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency (Florida, for reference, was 1st in offense but 12th on D, while the Aggies were 6th and 10th). A&M only lost seven times in 2006-07 but was rarely out of any game; its final six losses were all by three points or less. A quote from star guard Acie Law in SI best summed up the impact of Gillispie's teaching: "We're not the most talented team, but we're capable of beating anybody because we play so hard." Who knew if/when Gillispie was leading the Aggies to a second-round NCAA tournament victory over what was arguably a more talented, Pitino-coached Louisville team at Rupp Arena in March, it ever crossed his mind that it might be considered an audition for the house gig? Either way, it worked. On Thursday night, while he was out doing -- what else -- recruiting for A&M, Gillispie received a call from Barnhart to discuss the Kentucky opening. By noon Friday, the house speakers at Rupp were playing Springsteen's Glory Days, and by 12:45 he was introduced as the Wildcats' newest leader. "It's been a long road for me in terms of coaching," he said. "You just dream of having an opportunity." Now the guy they once called Billy Clyde Gillispie, a high-school point guard in 578-person Graford, Texas, has jumped from the prep ranks, to Baylor, to Tulsa, to Illinois, to UTEP, to Texas A&M, to arguably the most pressure-packed job in all of college hoops. His life will be as imbalanced as ever under the spotlight, where he'll set to work bringing Kentucky back, and perhaps in a few years' time, start erasing fans' pain of being passed over by Plan A. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/luke_winn/04/06/gillispie.kentucky/1.html
come on dudes, we all know the world doesn't work that way. Yes coaching at Kentucky presents more pressure, but that's why it's Kentucky, and that's why he's going there.
Man. Its been 2 days... I still feel sad and sick. Its like my GF left me for Captain America. I cant be mad. But its hurts...
Has anyone heard anything about DeAndre Jordan yet? Maybe a Rivals.com subscriber? Please no random personal thoughts, I understand yall generally hate TAMU and are gonna say Jordan will be a Longhorn. ya ya ya
On Channel 2 last night he said he is still an Aggie and plans on being enrolled in summer school at A&M on June 1. That doesn't mean that plans don't change though. I think he is going to wait on who the new coach is and see. Don't think he plans on following Billy to UK though. UT wouldn't be ideal since they already have 3 PFs coming in that are 3 or 4 star prospects.
Isn't Jordan a Center? At 7-0, he should be. We do have a lot of PFs coming in the next class, but him along with DJ/Abrams/Mason/James could make a pretty good team.
Reminds me of Mack Brown when he came to Texas. North Carolina was much better in football at the time. He could have had the stadium named after him there. He was winning a lot of games. Texas was just a better football school though. North Carolina football would always play second fiddle to basketball over there. Kentucky basketball, much like Texas football, is one of the few job openings that will entice almost any college coach int he country. For that reason, I would not have been surprised if Rick Barnes had up and left Texas for Kentucky.
I think that is a great hire ... KU looked at him when they hired Self, he reportedly turned down OU last year (not surprising considering the probation they were looking at). The guy has been to 3 Final Fours, a National Championship, has NBA experience, and has recruited Texas well in the past. I think Byrne made an excellent choice. Hopefully DeAndre will stick around and the Aggies can pick up right where they left off. It will also be nice to have a coach that runs an offensive scheme and still plays tough man to man defense. That is the one area I think Kentucky fans are going to be disappointed. The offense often would look lost under BCG. Not sure if that is because he focused so much on defense or what, but we had a hell of time against a good zone last year. Turgeon supposedly runs the motion offense which works for me. The key to his success is going to be in keeping this recruiting class and getting another decent class next season and he will be well on his way. Oh and we also better hope that Bill Self does well at KU because if that job opens up, we are looking for another new coach again.
don't hate ATM, think you guys are hilarious. Not a big fan of ou, obviously. Re: Jordan, no way ATM would release him to anywhere in the big 12.
The guys on 610 this morning were saying that Bill Byrne won't release any of the recruits to another Big 12 school. McClain was saying that it isn't really fair for the kids because the HC is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) reason a kid would committ to a school. Said it is much different in basketball (compared to football) because of the one on one interaction basketball coaches have this their players. Obviously as a Longhorn, I would love to see DeAndre in burnt orange. But I think a player should be able to decommitt if the HC leaves like BG did, especially when HCs can go as they please.
I agree with you, well at least the second part I would hope if he asked for his release we would give it to him. I believe Byrne would do it though despite what Mcclain says. He is not going to release him before our new coach gets a chance to talk to him though.
I would hope so. Byrne and A&M would be showing a lack of class, honor and self confidence if they did not release the kid, if he wants to leave. I thihk it would hurt future recruiting in Texas if they tried to keep a kid who really does not want to be at A&M.
http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/6659886?print=true When coach leaves, let recruits go too Yoni Cohen / Special to FOXSports.com Posted: 12 hours ago Texas A&M shouldn't play make-believe. Neither should Kansas State, Kentucky, Michigan or West Virginia. Programs that change coaches should release recruits who want out from their national letters of intent. The myth is that players sign with schools, not coaches. This illusion is perpetuated by the rules governing NLIs, which stipulate that players are bound to the programs with which they signed for at least one year — unless they are granted a release. The truth is that recruits commit to play for individuals, not programs. High schoolers use numerous criteria, location and tradition included, when picking a college. But for most recruits — and particularly for high-profile players — coaches are the most important factor. Recruits select coaches with whom they feel comfortable personally. They pick coaches who will help them professionally. And they agree to play for coaches whose systems best suit their talents. Scout.com ranks 7-footer DeAndre Jordan of Houston as the second best center in the country. In November, Jordan signed with Texas A&M because of the progress the Aggies had made under Billy Gillispie. Think Jordan would have signed with Texas A&M had Melvin Watkins been retained? Think again. Jordan knew the Aggies struggled under Watkins, who went winless in his final season as a head coach in the Big 12. "A&M is really coming on under Coach Gillispie," Jordan said at the time. "I like the way he develops players, the way he coaches players and the way he's shown he can turn those players into a true team. They've gone from single-digit wins to being one of the top teams in the country, already a tournament team." In April, with Arkansas pursuing Gillispie, Jordan made it clear that he was interested in playing for the coach who recruited him. "If he did leave (for Arkansas), I probably would have left and went with him," Jordan told DraftExpress.com. "I would have looked at all my options." With Gillispie now at Kentucky and Mark Turgeon likely to be named his replacement at Texas A&M, Jordan's future is up in the air. Publicly, Gillispie has indicated he won't try to bring Jordan or any of his other recruits to Lexington. Along with Jordan, Gillispie signed highly regarded point guard B.J. Holmes, shooting guards Bryson Graham and Derrek Lewis and small forward Nathan Walkup. "That's not the honorable way to do it," said Gillispie. "They signed with Texas A&M and I'm sure they'll all honor their national letter of intent." But as the saying goes, it takes two to tango and two to divorce. If Jordan makes a private appeal to join the Wildcats, will Gillispie turn him down? Even if he does, the Aggies shouldn't. If Jordan or Gillispie's other recruits ask for a release, Texas A&M should oblige. All five signed with Gillispie, not Turgeon. Ditto at Kentucky, Michigan and West Virginia. After Tubby Smith left Kentucky for Minnesota, power forward A.J. Stewart said he would still like to play for Kentucky. Fair enough. But if the Scout.com's Top 100 recruit changes his mind, he should be free to go. As should shooting guards Corperryale Harris and Alex Legion, top 50 recruits for Tommy Amaker at Michigan. It is unlikely either would follow Amaker to Harvard, where he recently interviewed. But both would be welcome additions at numerous elite programs around America. Last week, both Harris and Legion indicated they might request releases. "I'm opening up my recruiting," Harris told the Detroit News after meeting with new coach John Beilein. "I'm not looking at one or any school in particular. Michigan is still a school I'm looking at." "I still have to think about it," said Legion after a similar meeting. Beilein must hope Harris and Legion accept the message he delivered to his players at West Virginia. "I talked with the players as a team," said Beilein. "They came to West Virginia University, not John Beilein University. That's what I told every one of them." OK. To perpetuate the myth, that's what coaches are supposed to say. But in my opinion, Beilein, a likable and honest man with a real sense of integrity, opted against speaking the truth in this situation. That's particularly unfortunate, however, as Huggins will likely abandon Beilein's 3-point heavy offense and 1-3-1 zone defense. Players who committed to play in Beilein's system and whose skills were uniquely suited to Beilein's style are likely to struggle under new management. Recruit John Flowers should consider asking for a release and current Mountaineers ought to evaluate whether they'd be better utilized elsewhere. If they ask to leave, West Virginia should let them. Despite Bob Huggins' departure from Kansas State after only a single season, the Wildcats ought to likewise allow power forward Michael Beasley, small forward Dominique Sutton, and shooting guards Jacob Pullen and Fred Brown to renege on their commitments — even if they want to follow Huggins to Morgantown. If one or more members of the nation's top-rated recruiting class asks out, it will add insult to Kansas State's injury. But while the Wildcats' administration has a right to get mad at Huggins, it shouldn't try to get even. Kansas State's recruits would not have signed to play for the Wildcats under former coach Jim Wooldridge. Having named Frank Martin and Dalonte Hill as the team's new head coach and associate head coach, respectively, Kansas State appears likely to keep most if not all of their recruits. In the past couple days, Beasley, the nation's top power forward, Sutton, a Top 100 player, and Pullen have all said they are still likely to play for the Wildcats — but not because of Kansas State's location or tradition. "The drama is over," Beasley's mother, Fatima Smith, told the Associated Press. "Yes, Michael will be (at K-State) next year. If Dalonte would have left, it would have been a big deal. But as long as Dalonte's there, everything's fine. The only thing missing is coach Huggins." "If Dalonte is there, I will stay," Sutton told Rivals.com. "Whether he is the head coach or an assistant, I will go there. It is all about Dalonte." In other words, while the recruits didn't commit to Bob Huggins, they also didn't sign with Kansas State — as the NLI would suggest. The Wildcats retained Hill, the coach who really mattered. But programs that didn't ought not force recruits to honor a commitment that should no longer apply. Yoni Cohen is a frequent contributor to FOXSports.com. He writes about college basketball on his blog, http://www.yocohoops.com, and can be reached at yocohoops@gmail.com.
Good find. Now UT was supposedly Deandre's second choice. Come on down to Austin, Deandre, where things are stable, the coach stays put and withDurant going there is a glaring hole on the front line.
I would think going to UK with Gillespie would be the logical choice..if Gillespie was why he chose A&M in the first place. For A&M, releasing him would be easier if he went to another conference and it would put the #1 Center recruit on the big stage. If it's the kid's choice it wouldn't increase the resentment for Gillespie or make Gillespie somehow (more?) dishonorable. But he may not want to leave the State and his Momma, he might even stay with his commitment, if he likes Turgeon. ( personally , I could just never wear those uglyassed maroon uniforms)
Turgeon is slated to be introduced in 3 hours. Should I go? Ehh... Anyways, I heard a few of Gillespie's assistants might stay to work with Turgeon. 1 of them in particular played a large role in recruiting Jordan. So that might be a huge plus if the rumor is indeed true.
