Billy Gillispie/Texas Tech

[tornado]

Billy Gillispie admitted to hospital

http://lubbockonline.com/filed-online/2012-08-31/texas-tech-basketball-coach-hospitalized-lubbock?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter#.UED82kTevoo

but even before that reports coming out that the entire team is in mutiny..
CBSSports' Gary Parrish is saying the problems between coach & players is so serious that Gillispie is under threat to be fired.
"This is very, very serious.."

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/8321914/mutiny-texas-tech-coach-billy-gillispie-draws-complaints

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/blog/eye-on-college-basketball/19995074/texas-tech-players-meet-with-ad-about-gillispie

[Da Coach]

Update: Now former Texas Tech players are ratting out their coach, Billy Gillispie. They are saying he broke NCAA rules with "marathon practices" that went longer than NCAA rules allow.-

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/19996223/extexas-tech-players-gillispie-broke-ncaa-practicelength-rules

"We practiced a lot more than 20 hours a week," Wagner said.

A source close to Gillispie told CBSSports.com's Gary Parrish early Friday that "this is very, very serious" when asked whether Gillispie's job is in danger.

"We practiced two hours, then he told us to leave and go shave because he didn't like the way we looked," said Wagner, who is now at McClellan Junior College. "Then we came back, practiced two more hours before he told us to get a haircut. Then we came back and did about four more before he kicked us out."

Another ex-player, who did not wish to be identified, estimated the entire November practice lasted a total of 10 hours.

"We used to go more than four hours all the time," added Nash... "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."

Texas Tech issued this statement about its basketball program: "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 we take extremely seriously at Texas Tech. Texas Tech is devoting its full resources to look into this matter."

Former players maintain it's more than just about an excess of practice.

"If you were hurt, he told you that you had to stay in the training room all day -- from 6 or 7 in the morning until 10 at night," Wagner said. "Stay in there and get treatment over and over and over. We couldn't leave. My mom had to come and bring me food."

Both players also said that it was commonplace for Gillispie to hold two hour, full-speed practices only hours prior to games.

"Guys were worn out and sleeping by the time the games started," Nash said.

Wagner added, "Basketball wasn't fun anymore. It got to a point where I didn't like playing."

Nash said he almost didn't go to Texas Tech after Gillispie pulled a job offer to his former junior college assistant coach, ex-Indiana player Tom Coverdale. When reached, Coverdale confirmed that Gillispie initially offered him a full-time coaching position, but only days before his expected arrival on campus switched the offer to that of an assistant strength coach which paid about half the salary. Coverdale, who now works at Shepherd Insurance in Indiana, already had resigned his position at Tyler Junior College.

"After he changed his position, I wasn't planning on coming," Nash said. "But then Coach G [Gillispie] kept calling and apologizing, so I finally decided to go."

Coverdale said, "It's really unfortunate that we have guys like that there [who] do absolutely anything to get ahead."

According to sources, former assistant Chris Beard -- who had worked for both Bob and Pat Knight in Lubbock -- resigned shortly after Gillispie took over, in part due to the way the Coverdale situation went down. He was just one of many people -- secretaries, trainers, video coordinators, graduate assistants and academic advisors -- who left Texas Tech early in Gillispie's tenure.

[SFP]

I'm not sure what to take out of this article besides there seems to be something happening out there where the AD is not backing his man. It also appears that Billy Gillipsie is having a hard time communicating with these guys or perhaps its just a generation thing. They all need to hear how good they are even when they actually may not be good.

[Da Coach]

Gillispie has a history of erratic behavior, and Texas Tech knew they were taking a risk hiring him. The only official word from Texas Tech was this press release-
"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 we take extremely seriously at Texas Tech. Texas Tech is devoting its full resources to look into this matter."

So far, this statement does not sound like the administration is coming to Gillispie's defense. Maybe they know more about these issues involving NCAA violations and potential abuse of the athletes. If I was Billy, I'd be pretty worried. Maybe this has something to do with his hospitalization. I also suspect Gillispie's contract has behavior clauses that allow TT to fire him with cause, based on his previous problems.

[Braves4Life]

If true, Gillespie sounds like a man with a VERY serious health problem... OCD? Bi-polar? Mentally ill or unstable. Here's a man who, it seems, is in serious need of some help... Hope he gets it.

[Bravesfan]

I'm not sure what to take out of this article besides there seems to be something happening out there where the AD is not backing his man. It also appears that Billy Gillipsie is having a hard time communicating with these guys or perhaps its just a generation thing. They all need to hear how good they are even when they actually may not be good.

Hello all! Well, after one or two months away from this board, I figure this is a good thread to respond to considering it revolves around another out of control coach who does nothing for his school or his players.

SFP, I agree with you 100% about players egos and how it seems that coaches from different generations can't communicate with the current group of players. I am most certainly not a politically correct person, and I most certainly don't believe that coaches have to "hug" players and stroke their egos all the time so to speak. That said though, this goes way beyond some of his "Bob Knight" tactics where he banishes players out of practice and/or makes them find their own travel arrangements back to campus. To hear that a coach is making his players practice 10 hours or more a day and having hurt players train for 16 hours a day is not only abuse, that's grounds for jail time! And to think he did this to get his team to play better! How good did that do for them? They had a conference record worse than Bradley's if you could believe that!

It's interesting that that article mentions Chris Beard. I remember him from the "Knight School" reality show on ESPN several years ago. I'm thinking if Chris was able to tolerate Bob and Pat Knight all these years, Gillispie must be a complete tyrant for him to walk out so quickly after he was hired!

I don't know what's in the water in Lubbock, but maybe next time they better hire a coach with at least a little more demeanor than one that treats his players, secretaries and administration like garbage. It's obvious that the apple doesn't fall far from the Bob Knight coaching tree!

[Da Coach]

More allegations of player abuse directed toward Billy Gillispie. This CBS article lists many of the alleagtions against Gillispie, and notes that over 30 players and employees there in Lubbock have left in just a little more than a year that Gillispis has been head coach. The situation at Texas Tech sounds like Gillispie made life a living hell for everyone else.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/20052645/more-trouble-for-gillispie-as-allegations-of-mistreatment-surface

Will we hear any more about the reported NCAA rules violations?

[tornado]

but would it surprise anyone if he's fired - that someone will hire him again right away??

[Buesch N Chips]

but would it surprise anyone if he's fired - that someone will hire him again right away??

At this point, I would be very surprised.

[tornado]

but guys like Dave Bliss, Kelvin Sampson, and Bruce Pearl all found work right away....

[tornado]

but guys like Dave Bliss, Kelvin Sampson, and Bruce Pearl all found work right away....and even Gillispie had quite a bit of known baggage and history yet Texas Tech scooped him up...

[Buesch N Chips]

but guys like Dave Bliss, Kelvin Sampson, and Bruce Pearl all found work right away...

Right, but I was referring to another college job, where you are an educator.

[SFP]

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/8352433/former-players-paint-texas-tech-billy-gillispie-different-light-men-college-basketball

Another side to the story!

[Bravesfan]

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bask...ege-basketball

Another side to the story!

Good article SFP. Again, I'm not so much harping on how he is a disciplinarian type. Players know what they are getting into when they sign up with him, and I do truly believe that someone can come out a better person after playing with someone like this. My issue is with the abusive amount of time he runs his practices and workout sessions, anyone of which could permanently injure or cripple someone for the rest of their lives. I can't even fathom a 16 hour workout! Where is the police in this matter, and why is this guy not in jail??? Even Bob Knight never pulled this garbage!

[SFP]

Good article SFP. Again, I'm not so much harping on how he is a disciplinarian type. Players know what they are getting into when they sign up with him, and I do truly believe that someone can come out a better person after playing with someone like this. My issue is with the abusive amount of time he runs his practices and workout sessions, anyone of which could permanently injure or cripple someone for the rest of their lives. I can't even fathom a 16 hour workout! Where is the police in this matter, and why is this guy not in jail??? Even Bob Knight never pulled this garbage!

I never read he held 16 hour workouts. If he did that would be criminal unless a vast majority of it was eating, sleeping, stretching and watching tapes! I can't imagine working out for 16 hours within 2 days. MJ use to do 8 hours a day during the off season but that would include stretching, massages, weight training, cardio and perfecting his game. 16 hours???