Gillispie Takes Over At Texas Tech
LUBBOCK (Sports Network) - Billy Gillispie has been named the new men's basketball coach at Texas Tech.
It will be the third different coaching stop for Gillispie in his native state of Texas, as he previously guided UTEP and Texas A&M before a rocky two-year stay at Kentucky.
Gillispie has agreed to a five-year contract and will replace Pat Knight, who was fired earlier this month.
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"It is a great honor to be selected as the basketball coach at Texas Tech University," said Gillispie in a statement through the school. "I am very appreciative of athletics director Kirby Hocutt, President (Guy) Bailey and Chancellor (Kent) Hance for allowing me the opportunity to lead this program. Texas Tech is a great school that is located in a great community and is part of one of the toughest conferences in the country. I can't wait to get started."
Gillispie had three successful seasons with Texas A&M, guiding the Aggies to a record of 70-26 with two NCAA Tournament appearances. He then left for Kentucky and posted a mark of 40-27 in two seasons with the Wildcats, but was fired after failing to reach the NCAA Tournament in the spring of 2009.
A native of Graford, Texas, Gillispie started his head coaching career at UTEP. He's had a strong history of turning around struggling programs, doing so at both UTEP and Texas A&M.
The Aggies made the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament in Gillispie's final year with the school in 2007, the program's first Sweet 16 appearance since 1980. UTEP went from losing 24 games in Gillispie's first season to winning 24 games the following year.
With Texas Tech he'll take over a program that finished the 2010-11 season at 13-19 under Knight, who inherited the job from his Hall of Fame father in February 2008. The Red Raiders were just 50-61 under the younger Knight and reached the postseason once with an NIT appearance after the 2009-10 campaign.
"Over the past two weeks I have had the opportunity to spend significant time with Billy and I am absolutely confident that he will lead our basketball program back to the national spotlight while positively representing our university," said AD Kirby Hocutt. "There are exciting years ahead for Red Raider basketball."
Gillispie has a career record of 140-85 in seven years as a collegiate head coach.
