Gillispie Named A&M Basketball Coach
Mar 24, 2004 | Men's Basketball
March 24, 2004
After two seasons as head coach at Texas-El Paso, Billy Gillispie has been named the 19th men's basketball coach at Texas A&M, Director of Athletics Bill Byrne announced on Wednesday.
"I am excited that Billy Gillispie has agreed to become Texas A&M's men's basketball coach," Byrne said. "He has all the qualities we were looking for in a coach to lead our program to prominence in the Big 12. Billy is a native Texan and began his coaching career in the state. When I spoke with people associated with basketball in Texas, I became totally convinced that Billy would be a perfect fit for Texas A&M. This is the next step in our commitment to building champions and we are commited to providing Billy the support he needs to build a successful basketball program."
"It was a very difficult decision for me to leave UTEP," Gillispie said. "I deeply appreciate the support of the UTEP administration and the fans in El Paso, as well as the hard work and dedication of the players. The program is on a firm foundation and will continue to be successful because of them.
"I am looking forward with great anticipation to building a strong and competitive program at Texas A&M. I'm deeply impressed by the commitment of Dr. (Robert) Gates and Bill Byrne to building a nationally-prominent basketball program. Having spent most of my coaching career in Texas, I'm highly familiar with Texas A&M's outstanding traditions and I have always been impressed with its incredible spirit. With all the positives at A&M, I'm convinced we have the foundation to build a championship basketball program."
The Miners finished 6-24 in his first season at UTEP, but went 24-8 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament this year, one of the most dramatic turnarounds in college basketball history. As a result, Gillispie was named district coach of the year by the United States Basketball Writers Association and is a top candidate for national coach of the year honors.
The Miners captured the 2004 Western Athletic Conference title, its first in 12 years, after being picked to finish ninth in the preseason poll. UTEP became only the third WAC team in history -- and the first in 35 years -- to win a league title after finishing last the previous year.
| THE GILLISPIE FILE |
| FULL NAME: Billy Clyde Gillispie BIRTHDATE: Nov. 7, 1959 (Abilene, Texas) COACHING EXPERIENCE: Southwest Texas State (graduate assistant), 1982-85); Killeen (Texas) HS (assistant coach), 1985-87; Copperas Cove (Texas) HS (head coach), 1987-88; New Braunfels (Texas) Canyon HS (head coach), 1988-90; Killeen (Texas) Ellison HS (head coach), 1990-93; South Plains (Levelland, Texas) JC (assistant coach/recruiting coordinator), 1993-94; Baylor (assistant coach/recruiting coordinator), 1994-97; Tulsa (assistant coach), 1997-00; Illinois (assistant coach/recruiting coordinator), 2000-02; Texas-El Paso (head coach), 2002-04. PLAYING EXPERIENCE: Basketball and baseball letterwinner at Ranger Junior College (Ranger, Texas) EDUCATION: Graford (Texas) High School; Southwest Texas State (Education, 1983) |
Statistically, UTEP ranked among the top 25 nationally in scoring offense, scoring margin, field goal percentage, three-point percentage, free throw percentage and assists.
In the exhibition season in November, the Miners ended the Harlem Globetrotters' 288-game winning streak with an 89-88 victory. The Globetrotters finished their exhibition tour with a 7-1 record, including wins against Michigan State and defending national champion Syracuse.
The Miners finished 16-1 at home this season and built a huge following in El Paso, averaging 10,282 fans per game. UTEP had eight sellout crowds of 12,000.
A tireless worker, the 44-year-old Gillispie has built a reputation as one of the top recruiters in the Southwest. His prowess was reflected in his first recruiting class at UTEP, which featured a pair of first team junior college All-Americans and earned a top 25 national ranking by numerous analysts.
Prior to being hired at UTEP in 2002, Gillispie served eight years as an assistant coach at Baylor, Tulsa and Illinois. He was a member of Bill Self's staffs at Tulsa from 1997-00 and at Illinois from 2000-02. Self is now in his first season as head coach at Kansas.
Gillispie was part of a coaching unit that recorded 85 wins over three years, the second-highest total in the nation in that period, and captured four consecutive conference championships -- two in the Big Ten and two in the Western Athletic Conference. In addition, Gillispie was a member of the only coaching staff in NCAA history to lead two different schools to the Elite Eight in successive seasons -- Tulsa in 2000 and Illinois in 2001.
Tulsa registered a 32-5 mark in 1999-00 and Illinois fashioned a composite mark of 53-17 in 2000-01 and 2001-02, winning back-to-back Big Ten titles for the first time in 50 years. Self became the first Big Ten coach since 1913 to win Big Ten titles in each of his first two seasons in the league. Illinois advanced to the Sweet 16 in the 2002 NCAA Tournament.
Tulsa garnered a No. 9 national ranking in the final USA Today/NABC coaches' poll in 2000, while Illinois finished the year rated No. 6 in 2001 and No. 11 in 2002. In all, each of the last four teams Gillispie was affiliated with as an assistant coach made NCAA Tournament appearances.
In his eight years as a Division I assistant, Gillispie recruited 24 players from eight different states, including 11 from Texas. Seventeen were high school standouts and seven were junior college products. His efforts on the recruiting trail helped Illinois land one of the nation's top 10 signing classes in 2002. The group featured Parade All-American Dee Brown, James Augustine, Aaron Spears, Deron Williams and Kyle Wilson.
Tulsa's victory total climbed each year with Gillispie on the sideline, from 19 wins in 1997-98 to 23 in 1998-99 and 32 in 1999-00.
A native of Graford, Texas, Gillispie was the top assistant and recruiting coordinator at Baylor from 1994-97 under head coach Harry Miller. The Bears notched 18 victories in 1996-97 after consecutive nine-win seasons the previous two years. Baylor's 1996 recruiting class was ranked as high as No. 6 in the country.
A 1983 graduate of Southwest Texas State with a bachelor's degree in Education, Gillispie got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant at his alma mater from 1983-85.
From 1987-93, Gillispie served as head coach at three different high schools in Texas -- Copperas Cove, New Braunfels Canyon and Killeen Ellison. His last prep team at Killeen Ellison in 1992-93 recorded a 32-6 record and set school records for winning percentage and points scored while finishing the year ranked No. 4 in the state. Gillispie was nominated for High School Coach of the Year by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches. His athletic director at Copperas Cove High, Hal Mumme, was the former head football coach at Kentucky.
Gillispie joined the junior college ranks from 1993-94 as an assistant and recruiting coordinator at South Plains Junior College in Levelland, Texas.
Gillispie was a two-sport letterwinner in basketball and baseball at Ranger (Texas) Junior College from 1978-80. He also attended Sam Houston State. He is a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, Texas High School Coaches Association and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Year-by-Year with Gillispie
| YEAR | SCHOOL | TITLE | RECORD | POSTSEASON |
| 1982-83 | Southwest Texas State | Grad. Asst. Coach | 18-10 | --- |
| 1983-84 | Southwest Texas State | Grad. Asst. Coach | 14-12 | --- |
| 1984-85 | Southwest Texas State | Grad. Asst. Coach | 6-20 | --- |
| 1985-86 | Killeen (TX) HS | Asst. Coach | 20-9 | Playoffs |
| 1986-87 | Killeen (TX) HS | Asst. Coach | 30-6 | Playoffs |
| 1987-88 | Copperas Cove (TX) HS | Head Coach | 15-15 | --- |
| 1988-89 | New Braunfels (TX) Canyon HS | Head Coach | 15-15 | --- |
| 1989-90 | New Braunfels (TX) Canyon HS | Head Coach | 18-13 | --- |
| 1990-91 | Killeen (TX) Ellison HS | Head Coach | 13-18 | --- |
| 1991-92 | Killeen (TX) Ellison HS | Head Coach | 21-11 | --- |
| 1992-93 | Killeen (TX) Ellison HS | Head Coach | 32-6 | Final Four |
| 1993-94 | South Plains JC | Asst. Coach/Rec. Coord. | 20-9 | Playoffs |
| 1994-95 | Baylor | Asst. Coach/Rec. Coord. | 9-19 | --- |
| 1995-96 | Baylor | Asst. Coach/Rec. Coord. | 9-18 | --- |
| 1996-97 | Baylor | Asst. Coach/Rec. Coord. | 18-12 | --- |
| 1997-98 | Tulsa | Asst. Coach | 19-12 | --- |
| 1998-99 | Tulsa | Asst. Coach | 23-10 | NCAA |
| 1999-00 | Tulsa | Asst. Coach | 32-5 | NCAA |
| 2000-01 | Illinois | Asst. Coach/Rec. Coord. | 27-8 | NCAA |
| 2001-02 | Illinois | Asst. Coach/Rec. Coord. | 26-9 | NCAA |
| 2002-03 | UTEP | Head Coach | 6-24 | --- |
| 2003-04 | UTEP | Head Coach | 24-8 | NCAA |
