Gillispie Departure
I am not going to say much on the subject right now because I am still pretty disappointed that he is leaving. I am going to apply the 24 hour rule and give myself a day or two to clear my head and then try to put out a rational note to you guys.
I know one of the most popular questions now becomes "Where do the Aggies turn from here?"
Andy Katz on ESPN.com had this to say:
"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."
I will add, as we said a couple weeks back, Gillispie, if nothing else, has proven that you can win basketball games in College Station. Bill Byrne has also proven that he knows how to hire successful coaches, just see Gillispie, Gary Blair, Pat Henry, and Rob Childress. All we can do at this point is trust that Bryne will go out and get someone else that will continue to build upon what Gillispie has started.
(Remember, Byrne did not hire Fran.....)
I hope you guys all have a great Easter!
Carry on.
-sb
posted by Steven @ 1:04 PM
6 comments
6 Comments:
Well, I don't have much to say, but Mrs. Cavey did send me a text at 7:52 am on Friday, "Not a shock! To hell with him.". And then called me to say it again and again.
As a friend of mine put it, "It's like being a chick and getting dumped for a much, much hotter chick. Let's not sit in our rooms eating a gallon of ice cream with mascera running down our face and let's move on."
Gillispie is a jerk. He is so full of himself that he can't stay at a school that doesn't devote 100% of their athletic funds to basketball. I don't care how much "tradition" Kentucky basketball has, why would you leave a team ranked 9th in the nation for a borderline top 25 team. He turned A&M into a basketball powerhouse. I don't understand why he would leave now. I'm glad the players are upset with the way he left, he doesn't deserve to coach such classy guys. Gillispie, go enjoy your 3 years at Kentucky and we'll see you at Kansas in a few years. Traitor!
While in school, I attended 4 hoops games. From 1999 - 2004, I probably watched 4 other Aggie hoops games on TV. Over the past 3 years, I attended games when I could (probably 10 or so) and watched them on TV at every opportunity. Guess that means that I, like many others that read this report, are or were bandwagon fans. Guess BCG doesn't like fans like me because I don't have season tix, can't make it to the Grambling game on a Tuesday night at 6pm, and don't help build him a facility that he'll never set foot it...he prefers those who were born with it, live and die with it, and put for sale signs in coaches' yards after they fail to make the sweet 16.
The key for me now, though, is that I'm a fan now, even if I wouldn't have been one otherwise, and I will continue to be one with the new coach. Hopefully the new coach will be embraced from day 1, and hopefully A&M is where he'll want to be.
I hate Dennis, but Dennis has acted like he's always wanted to be at A&M since the day he set foot on campus. BCG never acted like he liked it all that much. I want someone who will win (unlike Dennis) and like it (unlike BCG). Like Batch asked me the other day, "Do you think Gillispe knows the words to the War Hymn?" My answer was no. Don't get me wrong...I'm glad he facilitated a changing of the culture at Reed Arena, and I hope it continues to evolve into an atmosphere where fans boo refs and where yell leaders are in the stand w/the rest of the students. But I hope the new guy will have some form of appreciation for the culture of the school.
Last thing: if any of what I've read today is remotely true about Arkie, etc., well...what a POS. I know it's internet fodder, but where there's smoke there's usually some fire. Hope he enjoys getting harassed in the middle of the night the first time they lose to Florida.
Wow, as one from the Big XII and now surrounded by SEC I am really interested to see what Gillespie will think in 3 years if he has not given UK at least 2 conference titles and a final 4.
Remembering Tubby at Tulsa, The Cats wore him out. He aged at least 20 years in that job and just looked tired every time I saw him on TV.
I guess we will see how Gillespie feels in a few years after leaving a place where he was king for a place with the never ending questions "How is he like Rupp?" "How is he like Pitino?" "How is he better than Tubby?"
Good luck to Billie coaching Alabama football...I mean Kentucky basketball.
Now that i've had 24+ hours to digest this, I feel better and am excited about hiring somebody, scheduling a game with KY, and kicking their a$$ all the while booing TKC out of Reed Arena and having the CSPD make sure he gets another DUI when he leaves the Tap the night before the game.
The glaring thing I saw from today was that in DeAndre Jordan's interview with KPRC he kept saying "right now" when talking about A&M and being an Aggie.
Seriously, though, I am excited about moving on.
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