OK, Kentucky fans, you can settle down. You've found yourself a winner, maybe the hardest practice coach in the biz.
Billy "Clyde" Gillispie will fit in just fine.
He's as intense a practice coach as there is in the country. I know. I've seen it. Gillispie is famous for having just about every able body in practice so as to keep the practices lively. So, this is a great opportunity for the student body to get involved. Tryouts might occur after the news conference.
As for a person, well, Gillispie hasn't shown to be anything but a solid guy. Now, I know it's hard to toss that around in this biz when someone doesn't always appear to be genuine. But in my dealings with Gillispie the past decade, he has always been welcoming, direct with his comments and informative.
Gillispie will have to handle some criticism at a place that cares about ball more than College Station. He'll have no choice but to improve his scheduling since Kentucky's slate is always driven by television. So, that complaint against him (weak nonconference scheduling) will become moot.
But he is married to the job. He's single. He's going to be about ball 24/7. He's an outstanding recruiter. And his circle of friends -- Kansas' Bill Self and Nebraska's Doc Sadler to name a few -- keep him in good company and grounded.
Gillispie has been a winner wherever he has been, so if UTEP and A&M felt burned by his quick departures they can't argue they weren't better off after he left. Kentucky is a destination job. So, the likelihood is that Gillispie has finally found a home and if that's the case the Wildcats should be just fine in their customary role as one of the nation's best.
More Nuggets
1. John Lucas, former NBA coach and father of Jai Lucas, the top unsigned point guard, said his son will look at Florida now that Billy Donovan is returning. He said Jai has another visit and could make that last visit after Donovan returns from a trip to the Dominican Republic with his family. He said Jai won't go anywhere until after the Jordan game April 21. The month-long spring signing period starts April 11. Jai is also looking at Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Maryland, Minnesota -- now that Tubby Smith is there -- and Kentucky. John Lucas said Jai promised the Wildcats that he would wait to see who is hired as head coach.
2. Now that Billy Gillispie has bolted to Kentucky, Texas A&M is a coveted job now that the Aggies have frenzied support. The names already being tossed about in College Station: Pitt's Jamie Dixon (who is now entrenched in the Steel City but did play in Texas at TCU), Oral Roberts' Scott Sutton and Nevada's Mark Fox.
3. Fox is the likely candidate to replace Bob Huggins at Kansas State since he once worked in Manhattan. The timing is right for Fox to leave now that Nick Fazekas is gone.
4. Speaking of Fazekas, he made a selfish decision to leave school without finishing the semester. No surprise here. Fazekas should finish out the year, make sure his degree is settled and he graduates. The new NBA draft rule is that workouts cannot occur until June 4, after the pre-draft camp. So, he's not going to gain any added advantage here. Fazekas owes it to Fox to finish up and then worry about his pro career which will start in two months anyway.
5. Kansas State has every right to play hardball with Bill Walker (rehabbing an ACL injury) and signee Michael Beasley and not release them if they show a desire to join Huggins at West Virginia. There is chatter that both could end up at USC if they get released but are barred from going to the Mountaineers (without a penalty of having to pay the scholarship and losing a year of eligibility). But if Walker wants to play with O.J. Mayo at USC, he probably won't since Mayo is likely one-and-done and Walker would have to sit out a year if he transferred. Beasley is in the Nike Hoop Summit in Memphis, Tenn. What if he waltzed down to campus to check out the Tigers as a possible destination?
6. The biggest losers in Thursday's news are the West Virginia players who specifically came to Morgantown for John Beilein's style. One outgoing assistant said they recruited for the style, rather than going after headline names. That's obvious. The question is whether they can play for Huggins and change their stripes quickly.
7. The reason everyone isn't jumping to all these jobs that are elite: There is more money out there for coaches (see: Missouri Valley Conference), facilities have improved and tournament access is just as good at a number of these locales.
8. Former St. John's coach Mike Jarvis interviewed at Harvard on Thursday. Former Michigan coach Tommy Amaker may listen soon, but Jarvis appears to be the early leader in the clubhouse.
9. The bitterness coming out of Manhattan, Kan., is understandable. I was there for Midnight Madness. K-State prez Jon Wefald was so adamant that he made the right hire. The buzz at Midnight Madness was palatable. The Wildcats have every right to feel burned.
10. Despite rumors to the contrary, Arkansas hasn't asked for permission to speak with South Alabama's John Pelphrey, according to the school. Still, Pelphrey's name pops up along with pick your Suttons (Sean, Scott or Eddie), and how about this wild one: Clemson's Oliver Purnell.
11. Beilein is one of the smartest basketball coaches in the country. He's a brilliant tactician. But he's not proving to be as much a genius in contract negotiations. He signed the document that calls for his buyout to be dollar for dollar. He split with his agent, Dennis Coleman, upset about the buyout. But here's the deal: Coleman gets a coach security, but it comes with a price: a big buyout. Just ask George Washington's Karl Hobbs, who was hamstrung by the same deal as Beilein. But on the flip side, Virginia's Pete Gillen and College of Charleston's Tom Herrion both got paid handsomely when they were sacked because of the buyouts Coleman put in the contract. Beilein is taking care of the buyout, not Michigan. But ESPN.com sources say West Virginia isn't budging from the $2.5 million figure. And it shouldn't. It's in the deal. He owes the money. Coaches need to understand that if you want an easy out, then you might not get paid as much upfront.
Andy Katz
