Texas Tech Basketball

Texas Tech is still looking for a new head coach for its basketball team. It just so happens recently fired Tubby Smith is still available for such a job and is reportedly the front-runner to land the position.

If Smith does move to Lubbock next season, it would be a great match for both sides.

ESPN's Jason King first reported that Smith and the Red Raiders met on Thursday, just days after the former Minnesota head coach was fired by new Golden Gopher athletic director Norwood Teague. Minnesota lost to Florida in the round of 32 in the 2013 NCAA tournament.

Here's an excerpt from King's piece:

Athletic director Kirby Hocutt and chancellor Kent Hance flew to North Carolina on Wednesday evening to talk with Smith about the position, and Smith was spotted in Lubbock on Thursday evening at Texas Tech's athletic facility. It is unclear whether Smith has been offered the job or whether he would accept the position if an offer was extended.

Texas Tech's program has been going through quite the recession since Bob Knight opted to leave in 2008. The Red Raiders remain a steady presence in the Big 12 each year but haven't been to the Big Dance since 2007 and just completed their fourth losing season in five attempts.

Pat Knight, Billy Gillespie and Chris Walker have all unsuccessfully tried to right the ship in Lubbock, but none were able to provide a winning culture or stability at the head coaching position.

Enter Tubby Smith.

Smith has over 22 years of head coaching experience at the Division I level, most recently with Minnesota for the last six seasons. He had a winning record with the Golden Gophers (124-81) and won the first non-vacated tournament game in nearly two decades when Minnesota upset UCLA in the second round this year.

The 61-year-old Smith has also spent time at Tulsa, Georgia and Kentucky, at the last school heading the team that won the 1998 NCAA National Championship. He has a career record of 511-226, is a noted name and despite some complaints about substitution patterns and recruiting oddities, his experience and basketball resume speaks for itself.

As noted by Eric Prisbell of USA Today, Smith was a marked man even before his Gophers lost to Florida in the round of 32. A six-year stay in Minnesota still produced only one tournament win, a number that new AD Teague wasn't keen to sell to boosters.

That doesn't mean Smith isn't a great fit in Lubbock.

While he won't inherit a talent-laden team, Smith would only lose one senior from the current roster. Top scorers Jordan Tolbert and Jaye Crockett are returning, and the fanbase in Lubbock is one of the most passionate in sports.

Smith would provide stability, a noted head coaching name and a reason for Texas Tech to get excited about basketball once more after missing the tournament for the sixth year in a row—coincidentally, the last time Smith was scooped up off the head coaching market by Minnesota.

While Smith might not be the most attractive option for a team that clearly has lost its way in the Big 12, his stability and knowledge would be a welcome sight for a team that has had three coaches in the last five seasons.

In the age of finding college basketball's "next great young coach," it's never surprising to see a team go young in attempt to build something special. That might be the way to go in Lubbock, but the Red Raiders would have a greater chance of competing next season by bringing Smith to town.

Keith Frazier has decided not to commit to Texas Tech just yet as he continues to weigh his options.

UPDATE: Thursday, Mar. 28, at 12;44 p.m. ET by Brandon Galvin

Keith Frazier has not committed to Texas Tech and has pushed his commitment date back, according to ESPN's Reggie Rankin.

'I just want to be 100 percent sure. I only want to make this decision once,' Frazier said. 

Frazier also noted he may decide sometime after the McDonald's All American Game on April 3. The senior has narrowed his choices to Texas A&M, Texas Tech and SMU.

---End of update---

The Texas Tech basketball program has seen better days, but the team just got a massive boost as 4-star recruit Keith Frazier is expected to announce his commitment to the Red Raiders tomorrow.

Pete Christy of KCBD, an NBC affiliate in Lubbock, Texas, reported the following on Frazier’s decision:

McDonald's All-American Keith Frazier will officially announce his college plans between either Texas Tech or SMU tomorrow at 3 p.m. However, sources at Texas Tech confirm to KCBD NewsChannel 11 Sports that Frazier is expected to announce his commitment to the Red Raiders tomorrow. We're told Frazier called Texas Tech officials today and verbally committed to the Red Raiders. 

247 Sports ranks the 6’5” shooting guard as the 37th-best player in the nation, and the eighth-best player at his position in the 2013 recruiting class.

While he flashes the ability to hit shots from shocking range, he also has the ability to dominate a game in other areas. As the Dallas Morning News’ Corbett Smith notes, Frazier averaged LeBron James-like numbers in his senior year, putting up 23.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game. 

He is also an efficient shooter, and drained 42 percent of his shots from three-point range, according to Corbett.

During his three years at Kimball High School in Dallas, he led his team to state titles in 2011 and 2012, and it finished as the runner-up this year. 

His leadership and exceptional talent will make him a hugely important addition for Texas Tech, which went through an extremely rough season.

Billy Gillespie resigned in September amid controversy and health issues, leaving interim head coach Chris Walker to try and salvage the season. He wasn’t able to do this, and the Red Raiders finished with an overall record of 11-20, while going just 3-15 in the Big 12. 

But the school saw enough positive signs from Walker to keep him on board while firing the rest of the staff. 

The future of the program is still uncertain, but Frazier’s impending commitment is the most positive sign coming from the Texas Tech basketball team in a long time. 

Sometimes, a man can protect his life from every peril except for himself. This seems to be the case as former head coach Billy Clyde Gillispie resigned from Texas Tech, ending a volatile and disappointing tenure that casts plenty of doubt about his future in Division I basketball.

Gillispie was once a promising coaching prospect who appeared ready to stake his claim as the next big thing in college hoops. Instead, he has allowed his inner demons to take control of his life and have effectively forced him away from what he loves doing most: coaching basketball to young men.

The story of Billy Gillispie is one of sadness and regret, but it all began with great promise during his early days as an assistant head coach. Gillispie's first job in Division I came under the guidance of head coach Harry Miller at Baylor University. The highlight of his tenure came in 1996, when Gillispie helped assemble the Bears' sixth-ranked recruiting class in the nation that season.

Billy eventually left the Baylor program and landed at the University of Tulsa, where he learned under head coach Bill Self. The two formed a dynamite duo and they led the school to an appearance in the Elite Eight during the 2000 NCAA Tournament.

Self and Gillispie then left together to coach at the University of Illinois, where they yet again took the team to the 2001 NCAA Elite Eight. After their great success, Gillispie helped the Illini land a Top-10 recruiting class. The team advanced to the Sweet 16 the following season, in large part because of Billy Clyde's great tactical skills and ability to lure great talent to campus. 

Before moving forward, take a step backward and observe what this man accomplished in such a short time span. He helped guide multiple programs to great success in the NCAA tournament while simultaneously recruiting at a high level at schools that were not recruiting hotbeds beforehand. The man accomplished great success in a short period of time, which would be the theme going forward in his rise to stardom.

Known as a hot up-and-comer and a great recruiter, Billy Gillispie finally landed his first major head coaching position by accepting the head coaching job at the University of Texas at El Paso in 2002. His first season for the Miners yielded an ugly 6-24 record, but the coach assembled a Top 25 overall class that promised great things for the program ahead.

Billy accomplished more than he could have dreamed in his second season, as his Miners completed the biggest turnaround of the season and finished 24-8 while taking home the WAC conference title. The startling turnaround earned Gillispie the Texas Coach of the Year award and he was a finalist for National Coach of the Year honors.

Gillispie parlayed this success into a promotion of sorts by leaving UTEP to take over as the head coach for Texas A&M. The Aggies finished 7-21 prior to Billy's hiring but quickly turned things around as he led them to a 21-10 record in the 2004-05 season. The 14-game turnaround was the greatest improvement in the nation, making Gillispie the first head coach in NCAA history to lead the nation's most improved team two years in a row.

He led Texas A&M to the NIT and even won games against ranked in-state rivals Texas and Texas Tech. It was no wonder then that he was a unanimous selection as the Big 12 Coach of the Year.

Following up on his great debut season, Clyde led the Aggies to a 22-9 record in 2005-06 while taking them to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in over a decade. Gillispie had his program trending upwards heading into his third season as head coach.

The 2006-07 season proved to be magical for Gillispie, as he led Texas A&M one of their greatest years in program history. They were consistently ranked in the Top 10 throughout the year and were boosted by the emergence of Acie Law as a college star. 

A&M even defeated rivals Kansas and Texas in back-to-back games during conference season. The team finished 13-3 in Big 12 play and advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament, where he would lose a one-point game to John Calipari's Memphis squad.

At this point in his career, it appeared that Billy Clyde had it all figured out and was destined for stardom. He was an elite recruiter, especially so in the state of Texas. He had led incredible turnarounds at schools that had never experienced success like they had when Billy led them. His tough defensive mindset also proved to be successful on the road, in conference play and in the Big Dance.

No one could have guessed that this would be the pinnacle of his coaching career. For such a young coach to reach this amount of success so quickly was incredible to witness, yet sadly it was the crossroads and turning point of his life as a Division I head coach.

Following up on three incredible years at Texas A&M, he left the program and filled the vacancy left by coach Tubby Smith at the University of Kentucky. This was no easy task for Billy; the Kentucky program had been down in recent years and the fans expected nothing less than a rapid turnaround to their former glory days.

At the time, there was no way he could have turned down this opportunity, but in hindsight this was the beginning of the end for the head coach. Simply put, Billy was in over his head and was the wrong fit from day one in Lexington.

He lost his second overall game in embarrassing fashion, falling to lowly Gardner Webb at Rupp Arena by a whopping 16 points. This was followed up later in the non-conference schedule by losing to San Diego, again at Rupp Arena.

However, he did turn around his first season and led the Wildcats to a 12-4 record in SEC conference play and earning honors as the Co-SEC Coach of the Year. 

This good will earned late in his first season would not carry over, as Clyde and the Kentucky program suffered a disastrous 2008-09 campaign. The team lost 14 games, which was the second-highest total in school history. Worst of all, the team failed to reach the NCAA tournament and lost in the third round of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT). The result was deemed unacceptable by the school and its fans.

Gillispie was fired soon after the year was over. Many people believed it was because of his on-court performance, which certainly played a role in the decision to let go of Billy. However, reports and stories began to rise to the surface regarding Gillispie's way of treating players, coaches and media during his time in Lexington.

More and more stories poured in after his departure and many of them foreshadowed what would occur again later at Texas Tech—Gillispie's final head coaching stop. 

One example is how Billy handled injured players. Former walk-on Dusty Mills had this to say in response to allegations that the coach forced players to practice while being hurt:

"I can't really confirm Gillispie technically made them practice. That's not fair for me to say. But it was clear they practiced and were not happy about it. Physically, they were playing in pain, and it was hard to watch at times."

Another example is given by former Kentucky player Mark Krebs, who spoke about Gillispie's tenure in an interview with Kentucky Sports Radio. Krebs today talked about how Billy Clyde pressured Derrick Jasper into returning early from microfracture surgery by openly mocking both Jasper and the trainers/doctors who suggested he was not ready to play.

He went on to say that when the doctors said that Jasper could only play half-court due to his rehab, Gillispie put a piece of tape on the floor and in a mocking tone said, "Well we can only play this from here over because of Derrick." Mark said that the treatment was a major reason for Jasper’s transfer and that Derrick wasnt alone in receiving it.

The stories went well beyond injured players, though. He was known as a tough guy who, according to Krebs, "tears you down and doesn’t bring you back up."

One instance came during a 2009 basketball game against Vanderbilt. At halftime, Billy Gillispie locked center Josh Harrellson in a bathroom stall, then forced him to ride home in the equipment bus after the game was over.

These are just some of the examples of how Billy Clyde went above and beyond with his players. It is for these reasons that the coach was let go in only his second season at Kentucky. It was evident that he was not the right man for the job and it was not just the players who caught on.

Kentucky basketball radio analyst Mike Pratt knew early on that Gillispie would not succeed at the school. In another radio interview with Kentucky Sports Radio, Pratt revealed was the public acknowledgement of something long believed privately—Billy Gillispie called the Texas A&M AD the night before he was introduced at UK and asked for his job back.

Pratt said that he knew Billy Clyde was the wrong fit from the first practice he watched. He looked at Tom Leach and after watching the way he talked to players, he said “this will never work.”

Also of note is Billy's alleged drinking problem. He was known as a heavy consumer of alcohol and had issues controlling his unhealthy habit. In fact, he was arrested for a DUI five months after being let go by UK.

All of this leads up to the present time, in which Gillispie had a tumultuous run at Texas Tech. Following in the footsteps of Bob and Pat Knight, Billy coached one season at the school and finished 8-23. During his 18 months as the men's basketball coach, 15 players have left the program. That is so far beyond acceptable for any coach and is incriminating evidence that Billy's inner demons only grew worse after his time at Kentucky.

More details about his behavior at Texas Tech were made public in recent weeks as players met with the school's athletic director about the treatment that they were receiving from Billy Clyde. Reports of long practices and the abuse of injured players, conjuring up memories of the same type stories that circulated during his days in Lexington.

At the same time, Gillispie was reported to check-in to the Mayo Clinic and has been advised by his doctors to avoid stress for the next 30 days. 

It all came crashing down today as Billy Gillispie officially resigned as head coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders. He is citing health reasons, but it is plain and clear that he is leaving because the man has yet to confront his inner demons. 

Instead of facing his faults head on and seeking help, he is refusing to own up to the realization that he has serious emotional and mental issues that need to be sorted out. He is unable to treat his own players as proper human beings, which is the worst thing that you can say about a man who clearly has a deep passion for teaching basketball to young men.

This is a sad and tragic end for the former coach, who was once the brightest prospect in the country and was handed the keys to the most passionate fan base and greatest tradition in college basketball. Unfortunately for him and his players, Gillispie was unable to handle the spotlight and took out his inadequacies as a coach and a person on the very people who relied on him to guide their collegiate athletic careers.

What makes this story even worse is that he had true potential as a coach. Many people swear that he was wonderful at breaking down teams, drawing up plays and making mid-game adjustments. According to Krebs, 

“He works really hard. He breaks down teams better than I’ve seen any coach do. I learned a great deal from him.”

A similar view is shared by Harrellson, who went from sitting in a bathroom stall under Gillispie to reaching the Final Four under current Kentucky head coach John Calipari,

"Coach Gillispie is a very smart coach. He knew basketball. I don't think he had the best way of teaching it. But I'm very thankful for what he did. He made all of us mentally tough. He made all three of us [Harrellson, Darius Miller and DeAndrew Liggins] be able to do things we've never been able to do before. It's probably why we're here today, because of how mentally tough he made us." 

Therefore, the story of Billy Gillispie is not one of a hateful and spiteful man who did not know what he was talking about. It was not a story of someone who got lucky and should never have been given the chances that he received.

Rather, it is the story of a man who worked harder than most, recruited the best of the best, maneuvered himself beautifully up the coaching ladder, accomplished some truly incredible things, reached the top quicker than most coaches before him and had great potential and a wonderful basketball mind to share with players for years to come.

Yet once he reached the top, Billy Clyde Gillispie lost his grasp on his inner demons and hurt those people that were closest to him. In the end, he was able to protect his soul from everything except for the one person that would cost him his career, his livelihood and his reputation: himself.

The Texas Tech basketball team could be without head coach Billy Gillispie for a while.

Gillispie, who is in his second year with the Red Raiders, was taken to the hospital 10 days ago when he thought he was having a heart attack. He spent six days there before being released, and now Texas Tech has made it official that he will be away from the team for an indefinite amount of time.

UPDATE: Monday, Sept. 17, at 12:15 p.m. ET by Ben Chodos

Texas Tech head coach Billy Gillespie has been told by doctors that he should avoid stress for the next 30 days.

Betsy Blaney of the Associated Press reported the following:

Billy Gillispie says doctors have ordered him to avoid any stress for 30 days to try to bring his blood pressure down.

In a text message early Monday, Gillispie confirmed he'd been treated for kidney problems and abnormal headaches while at the Mayo Clinic where he went last week.

This may be a tall order as Gillespie is under fire for grossly mistreating his players and is in serious jeopardy of losing his position with the Red Raiders. The article notes that Gillespie has been told by the university to stay away from the basketball program and deal with his health concerns.

---End of Update---

The news comes via the Associated Press' Jim Vetruno:

Texas Tech officials say Gillispie on indefinite sick leave. Unclear how long he will be out.

— Jim Vertuno (@JimVertuno) September 10, 2012

This just further adds to the odd situation surrounding Gillespie and his standing at Texas Tech. 

Just hours before he was taken to the hospital on August 31, Texas Tech announced that the head coach would be investigated for alleged mistreatment of players and excessive practice time.  

It has since been revealed that those certain Red Raider players—leading scorer and rebounder Jordan Tolbert, in particular—don't want to play for Gillispie when he gets back. 

And so the plot thickens. 

Gillispie, who struggled immensely in his first year with Texas Tech and has really fallen from grace since landing the Kentucky head coaching job five years ago, is clearly not on good terms with his players. 

Could his leave of absence have to do with that, or is it purely because of health reasons? Is it just delaying the inevitable? If he somehow does comes back with his job intact, will his top players stay with the Red Raiders?

These and many more questions surround Gillispie and Texas Tech as the basketball program continues its unfortunate downfall.

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Texas Tech basketball coach Billy Gillispie's career could be in jeopardy following allegations of mistreating players and other NCAA violations, according to a report by CBS Sports' Jeff Goodman.

Gillispie's main violations involved going beyond the NCAA's regulated practice time allotment. According to former players, Gillispie, who went 8-23 in his first season in Lubbock, once forced his team to practice eight hours in one day and regularly went over the 20 hours per week limit. 

Via CBS Sports: 

"We practiced a lot more than 20 hours a week," former guard Kevin Wagner told CBSSports.com.

"We used to go more than four hours all the time," added Jaron Nash, who transferred to North Dakota after last season. "I remember that day when we went almost all day. We didn't leave until 9 p.m. or so. It was pretty bad. A lot of guys were really hurt after it. One guy had a stress fracture in both legs."

Nevertheless, the mistreatment reportedly did not stop with a simply over-demanding practice schedule. According to Goodman's source, Gillispie would even force players to practice when injured. 

In one instance a player, identified by a source as Kader Tapsoba, openly wept in practice as the Red Raiders coach forced him to play despite multiple stress fractures in his legs.

Here is what the source told Goodman:

He was literally crying at practice. He couldn't even run and Gillispie had him running up and down the steps at the arena. I remember the doctor getting the X-rays back and coming to practice and telling Gillispie it was really bad. He'd just ice him up and tell him to go practice.

If true, these allegations could be the death knell to Gillispie's coaching career. Once a shining star in the coaching world, things have continually fallen apart for the coach since leaving Texas A&M in 2007.

His time at Kentucky is largely seen as a necessary failure to bring in John Calipari, and even without corroboration, these allegations could lead to an early end at Texas Tech. 

For the Red Raiders, this is yet another huge blow for the basketball program. Brought to prominence by legendary coach Bob Knight, Texas Tech has struggled with relevancy since his departure. 

With no NCAA tournament appearances since Knight left, it's likely that it's once again time to rebuild in Lubbock. 

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A group of Texas Tech men's basketball players have met with school administrators and leadership to voice their complaints about how they are being treated and the number of hours they are being required to practice, ESPN's Andy Katz and Jason King reported.

Athletic director Kirby Hocutt and associate athletic director Blayne Beal met on Friday to discuss the players' issues. Afterward, Beal released the following statement:

"We are aware and are looking into concerns within the leadership of our men's basketball program. Student-athlete well being is our top priority and a matter that we take extremely seriously at Texas Tech. Texas Tech is devoting its full resources to look into this matter.''

Beal also communicated that the school was informed on Friday that head basketball coach Billy Gillispie was hospitalized in Lubbock. At the time of the announcement, Beal gave no specifics on why the second-year coach was under doctor's care and had no immediate details on his condition. 

Tech has already lived through a recent coaching controversy involving former head football coach Mike Leach. The final result of that unfortunate event was the firing of the colorful gridiron leader.

The basketball program stumbled through last season going 8-23 overall (1-17 in the Big 12), the worst season for the Red Raiders in over 20 years.

University officials must be in some stage of disbelief or even horror that they might be getting ready to go through another high-profile PR nightmare.

Indiana State overcame bad shooting from the field to beat Texas Tech 60-49 in the first quarterfinal of the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, Florida.

The Sycamores shot 35.7 percent from the field, but the Red Raiders gave them multiple opportunities at the free throw line, committing 23 fouls. The Sycamores went 25-31 from there, taking advantage of that gift.

Jordan Tolbert was the clear player of the game for Texas Tech, getting 20 points and nine rebounds in the losing effort. The Sycamores spread the ball around, with six players scoring seven or more points. Jake Odum was their leader, hitting two three point shots, going eight of 10 from the free throw line, with four assists.

The Red Raiders started off badly on both sides of the ball, turning the ball over and fouling the Sycamores by double-digits in the first 10 minutes of the game. Both teams struggled shooting from the field, giving Texas Tech with a chance to come back.

Tolbert and Terran Petteway did just that, driving the team to a 22-all tie with 4:22 to go in the half. The Sycamores weathered the storm and took the lead right back, finishing off the half with a 10-4 run.

Both teams couldn't make many behind the arc, but Odum started off the second half with a three point shot. They started pulling away and taking a double-digit lead, as big as 44-33 with 12:20 to go in the game.

Tolbert then took advantage of a few Sycamore turnovers in the middle of the second half and got four quick points, helping the Red Raiders get within five points in a 5-0 run. Their defensive intensity picked up and forced the Sycamores into quick shots.

However, that's as close as they got, as the Sycamores started getting to the line again when they attacked the basket and made better jump shots, beating the Red Raiders' pressure. The lead got into double-digits again, and the game ended on a 16-10 run.

Texas Tech put themselves in a hole early. While they fixed turning the ball over, it's impossible to win by fouling a team 23 times and they make over 80 percent of those free throws. Indiana State improves to a perfect 5-0 while the Red Raiders take their first loss of the year and go to 4-1.

My, how quickly things can change.  One minute you’re in the driver’s seat of one of college basketball’s most storied programs—the next minute you’re in the back seat of a police cruiser under arrest for driving under the influence. 

Welcome to the world of Billy Clyde Gillispie. 

It’s been an up-and-down journey for good ole Billy Clyde, from his successful rebuilding days at UTEP and Texas A&M, to his inability to succeed on basketball’s biggest stage. 

Today, he embarks upon a brand new chapter in his coaching career—one that may even come as a surprise to his critics.  In what is more than likely his final shot at redemption, Gillispie looks to jump-start the Texas Tech basketball program after being named head coach on March 20, 2011.

The previous two years have given the coach an opportunity to look back, assess everything and find himself again.  After completing his time in a Houston Rehabilitation Center, Gillispie quickly dove into charity work by volunteering to help out his friend’s junior AAU team and reaching out to MADD and Big Brothers Big Sisters.  And if you follow college hoops, chances are you’ve seen him this past season in attendance at a few Big 12 games in support of his good friend, Bill Self.

As shameful as it is to admit today, I thought Gillispie was going to be the savior for Kentucky basketball after he was hired—and the minute he left Lexington, I began pondering where it all went wrong. 

Was it his no-nonsense coaching style and hellish conditioning demands that created disconnect with his players? 

Was it his inability to communicate with players and open himself up to the media and former Wildcats? 

Or was it his off-the-court issues that ultimately led to his demise?

While I believe all of those factors played a role in his “resignation,” let’s be real here—Gillispie failed in the recruiting department.

At Kentucky in 2008, Gillispie created a stir around the basketball world by offering a scholarship to eighth grader Michael Avery after watching him play for a traveling team in an Ohio tournament.  Yes, eighth grade.  That’s a 14-year-old we’re talking about.

Avery is now finally a senior in high school and has had to endure a bumpy road over the years, recently being ruled ineligible to play his final season after transferring back to his hometown school in California from Montverde Academy in Florida.  After growing only an inch since the eighth grade, the 6’5" Avery served as a role player during his days at Montverde, a nationally ranked private school that recently hired former long-time St. Patrick (N.J.) High coach, Kevin Boyle.  Avery is currently labeled as a low-end Division I prospect but hopes to raise his stock this summer.

That same year in 2008, Gillispie offered scholarships to high school freshman Vinny Zollo and sophomore-to-be Dukotah Euton. 

Euton was a local Kentucky kid that didn’t quite live up to his hype in the years following his commitment to Gillispie and eventually re-opened his recruitment upon Calipari’s arrival in April of 2009.  Euton signed with Akron out of high school, where he received little playing time during his freshman year last season.  He has since transferred to Asbury College (KY) where he will continue his playing career.

After Zollo committed to Gillispie and the Cats, he and his family immediately uprooted themselves from Greenfield, Ohio to Winchester, Kentucky, where he’s resided ever since.  He too had to re-open his recruitment upon Calipari’s arrival to Lexington after the two conversed over his future at Kentucky.  Zollo just finished up his senior season at Clark County High in Winchester and signed with Western Kentucky, where he’ll suit up this upcoming season.

And then there’s Billy Clyde’s first two commits at Kentucky—point guards K.C. Ross-Miller and G.J. Vilarino.   Ross-Miller, at the time of his commitment, was between his freshman and sophomore seasons in high school.  Unfortunately, the Texas guard out of God’s Academy couldn’t quite live up to his high expectations in the following years and barely cracked Rivals’ top 150 during his senior season.  After struggling to find a home due to academic issues at LSU and FIU, Ross-Miller finally found one as starting point guard at New Orleans, now an independent school.

The 6' Vilarino committed to Gillispie during his sophomore season of high school.  Despite having his heart set on becoming a Wildcat, Vilarino also re-opened his recruitment following his conversation with Calipari, two months prior to his expected enrollment in June 2009.  He later signed with Gonzaga and has since transferred to Appalachian St.

Here’s the full list of what I feel are recruiting “misses” during Gillispie’s short tenure at Kentucky and where they’re at now:  Conner Tucker (Sam Houston St.), G.J. Vilarino (Appalachian St.), Dakotah Euton (Asbury), Vinny Zollo (WKU), Michael Avery (Undecided),  K.C. Ross-Miller (New Orleans), Hunter McClintock (Oral Roberts).

As a coach at a premiere program, how is it possible to miss on so many players in such a short period of time?   

Was it just an awful string of bad luck?  Or does he lack the ability to evaluate talent?

I can’t even imagine the pressure a lot of these kids went through trying to live up to the ridiculous expectations Gillispie created for them at such a young age—along with the scrutiny and heckling they endured struggling to live up to these lofty expectations.   I’d be willing to bet the stigma follows them around to this day, in some shape or form.

If there’s a lesson to be learned from all this, it’s for coaches to stay away from teenagers that can’t even drive, as silly as it sounds.  Kids should have the right to be kids.  Give them time to develop at least into their junior seasons before throwing out scholarship offers. 

Hopefully this time around, Gillispie realizes this method of recruiting nearly ruined his coaching career and more importantly, could have a negative long-term impact on many of those former recruits at Kentucky.

Looking back on the Gillispie era and seeing where the state of Kentucky basketball would have ended up under his reign makes me appreciate even more where Kentucky basketball currently stands under Calipari today. 

According to reports from Lubbock this morning, the Texas Tech Red Raiders head basketball coach, Pat Knight, will not be the head coach next season.

Knight, who is the son and successor at Texas Tech of legendary coach Bob Knight, is in his fourth season as head coach and will carry out his duties through the Big 12 Tournament this week.

Pat Knight took over for his father during the 2007-2008 season, but was unable to put together a winning season in Lubbock despite reaching the quarterfinals of the NIT last season.

Overall, Knight is 50-60 as the head coach of Texas Tech basketball.

With the news breaking of Knight being fired, it raises one question:

Will Bob Knight put down the mic and come back to the profession that has made him known by so many?

After all, Bob Knight was 138-82 during his tenure at Texas Tech and coached the Red Raiders to four NCAA tournament berths in six seasons.

Does Bob Knight have any gas left in the tank, or will he stay away from the coaching profession? After all, he has taken some time off and quite possibly misses roaming the sidelines. He has a contract with ESPN and is currently an NCAA basketball announcer for the network.

More importantly, should he go back to coaching or stay retired?

What do you think?

More information to come about the situation with Pat Knight.

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