Friday, March 30, 2007

Would You Hire Billy Gilispie?

Texas A&M coach Billy Gilispie is a hot coaching candidate. And for good reason. He has led the resurgence of Aggie basketball. When he took over the team they had gone winless in the annually overrated Big Twelve the year before. This year (three years into his tenure) he led the Aggies to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAAs.

Sounds good so far.

Gillispie had reportedly interviewed with Arkansas and came very close to taking that job (although he now denies that he ever spoke with Razorbacks Athletic Director, who is largely considered a babboon.)

After that, he reupped with the Aggies and negotiated a lucrative extension which would make him the highest paid coach in a conference that includes Rick Barnes, Bill Self, Bobby Knight, and others.

Sounds reasonable.

Problem is, that extension has not been signed. In fact, Gillispie is on his way to the Final Four in Atlanta this weekend. Reports out of my Bluegrass State (that's Kentucky, you non-state-nickname-knowing-people) are that Gillispie is waiting to interview for the UK job.

So you've got a guy, who in the course of a little over a week, has entertained an offer from Arkansas, negotiated an extension to stay at A&M, and renegged on that to possibly negotiate with Kentucky.

Sounds like a weasel.

3 comments:

Piccu said...

I thought all basketball coaches were weasels.

We all know that Donovan is on the top of the list and he would be a fool not to listen. I heard recently that the Gators only sold out one home game all season and if that doesn't tell you that Florida is a football school through and through, I don't know what will.

It seems now that Rick Barnes is the second name under Donovan. I am not a huge fan of Barnes mainly because he has such great talent every year but only one Final Four appearance.

Frankly I didn't know who Billy Gillispie was until the NCAA Tourny. I will say that I wouldn't mind rooting for a coach who's middle name is Clyde. That would be the only reason I would accept Billy Clyde.

Otherwise, I think it's Donovan's to turn down and if he does, who knows who will be the next coach?

Travis said...

I think UF sold out two games. UK and Ohio State.

That's the only reason I can think of for Donovan to go to UK. And it's a good one.

Otherwise, everything he can achieve at UK he can and has done at UF.

I don't like Barnes either, for the same reasons you said.

I hope they hire Mike Jarvis. But then, I hate UK.

BRATCH said...

The one thing that UK has to do is wait for Donovan to finish the tournament and have him take the job or publicly turn down the job.

If you hire anyone without all the UK fans reading or hearing Donovan turning down the job, you are screwing the next coach. As soon as they lose a game the UK fans will being saying that Donovan should have been hired.

So nothing happens until Donovan turns down the job or takes the job.