Billy Gillispie Out At Texas Tech

• 9 months ago
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Billy Gillispie Seeking Treatment At Mayo Center

Texas Tech men's basketball coach Billy Gillispie is seeking treatment for stress and high blood pressure at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. This comes after an ambulance was sent to Gillispie's home on Monday following a 911 call, according to a report from the Associated Press.

A source told ESPN.com that while it's still unknown when Gillispie will return to Texas Tech, he does intend to coach this season.

"Coach Gillispie is both a great coach and a great man who truly cares about helping young men achieve their dreams and true potential," the source said. "Hopefully, he'll find the answers to his medical issues quickly and be able to return to the Red Raiders and lead their basketball program back into national prominence."

Gillispie was discharged from a Lubbock hospital last week after being hospitalized for nearly a week. Current Texas Tech players met with school officials late last month, expressing concern over the length of practices and other conduct.

On Monday, Texas Tech leading scorer Jordan Tolbert said he no longer wants to play for Gillispie.

For more on this story, be sure to visit Double T Nation as well as this StoryStream.

• 10 months ago
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Billy Gillispie Discharged From Hospital

Texas Tech Red Raiders men's basketball coach Billy Gillispie was released from University Medical Center in Lubbock, Texas, on Thursday, according to a hospital spokesperson.

Gillispie had been in the hospital under care for high blood pressure and chest pain since Aug. 31. Now that he's out, he'll have plenty to deal with, as allegations of mistreatment of players and violations of NCAA limits on practice time have surfaced.

Gillispie was reportedly issued a reprimand in January after Texas Tech self-reported secondary NCAA violations pertaining to the amount of practice time the team had each week, athletic director Kirby Hocutt said Wednesday. He also said he would have a zero tolerance policy toward further violations, which recent allegations suggest may have happened.

If proven true, the allegations could cost Gillispie his job. NCAA rules allow coaches to work with their players for 20 hours a week. A CBSsports.com report filed Aug. 31 quoted a former player, Kevin Wagner, as saying the team practiced "way more than 20 hours a week."

• 10 months ago
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Billy Gillispie Faces New Allegations Of Abusing Coaches, Players

Stories continue leaking about the train wreck that's been Billy Gillispie's time in Lubbock, and they are not pretty.

The former Texas A&M and Kentucky coach came back to the Big 12 in 2012, but success was elusive on the court, as the Texas Tech Red Raiders went 8-23 and 1-17 in conference.

That misery apparently leaked into Gilliespie's conduct off the court, which CBS Sports Jeff Goodman outlines in a devastating report:

"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."

One source identified that player as African native Kader Tapsoba, who did not play last season while dealing with multiple stress fractures.

There's plenty more nuggets in Goodman's article, including Gillispie's propensity for dangling jobs and scholarship offers in front of recruits and assistant coaches before pulling them at the last minute. He also reportedly forced everyone in attendance the night before a game, including Texas Tech's TV and radio broadcasters, to participate in layup lines at the start of practice, and run stadiums if they missed any shots.

What could really be Gillispie's undoing, though, is the rampant violation of the NCAA's 20-hour-per-week practice rules, which could be enough of a pretext for the Red Raiders to cut ties with the unstable coach.

For more on Texas Tech, be sure to check out their SB Nation blog, Double-T Nation.