May 19, 2005
Texas A&M head coach Billy Gillispie and George Washington University head coach Karl Hobbs will serve as court coaches at the 2005 USA Men's World University Games Team Trials, USA Basketball announced today.
The Trials court coaching staff is responsible for conducting drills, coaching scrimmages and working with players who will be vying for spots on the 2005 USA World University Games Team. The pair will assist the 2005 USA World University Games Team coaching staff, headed by Villanova University's Jay Wright at the July 28-31 Trials, held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
"I'm totally excited," said Gillispie, the consensus Big 12 Conference coach of the year. "I'm overwhelmed at the opportunity and very appreciative to have the honor of being able to work with some of the finest players in the country and some of the finer coaches in the country. I'm definitely honored just to be selected to be a part of the group with USA Basketball."
The 2005 World University Games Team Trials will feature approximately 25 of the nation's top collegians and will be used to select finalists for the 2005 USA World University Games Team.
In his first year as head coach at A&M, Gillispie already has put his name in the Aggie history books. Taking over a program that had seen just one winning season since the 1988-89 squad went 16-14, he made the biggest turnaround in the NCAA last year. Gillispie put together a 21-10 slate in 2004-05 for a 14-win improvement over the 2003-04 Aggies (7-21), the best record of any first-year head coach in Aggie history.
In addition, the 21 victories were the most for any squad at the school since the 1979-80 team earned a 26-8 mark. Not only did Gillispie turn around the program, but he ushered the team into postseason play for the first time since 1994 and led his squad to the quarterfinals of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT).
Gillispie is big on improvements. His first year as a collegiate head coach was the 2002-03 season at Texas-El Paso. The team in the year prior to his arrival was 10-22 and after his first UTEP squad posted a 6-24 record, Gillispie in went 24-8 in 2003-04 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
With his 18-win improvement at UTEP and the 14-win increase last season, Gillispie is the only coach in the history of the NCAA to lead the nation in turnarounds in consecutive seasons.
Gillispie also was named district coach of the year by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) and earned Texas Coach of the Year honors from the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches.