Billy Gillispie
Billy Clyde Gillispie (/ɡɪˈlɪspi/ ghih-LIS-pee; born November 7, 1959), also known by his initials BCG and Billy Clyde, is an American college basketball and current men's basketball coach at Tarleton State. Gillispie had previously been head coach at UTEP, Texas A&M, Kentucky, and Texas Tech.
Gillispie in February 2008 | |
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Tarleton State |
| Conference | WAC |
| Record | 59–51 (.536) |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | November 7, 1959 Abilene, Texas, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Southwest Texas State |
| Playing career | |
| 1978–1980 | Ranger JC |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1982–1985 | Texas State (assistant) |
| 1985–1987 | Killeen HS (assistant) |
| 1987–1988 | Copperas Cove HS |
| 1988–1990 | Canyon HS |
| 1990–1993 | Ellison HS |
| 1993–1994 | South Plains JC (assistant) |
| 1994–1997 | Baylor (assistant) |
| 1997–2000 | Tulsa (assistant) |
| 2000–2002 | Illinois (assistant) |
| 2002–2004 | UTEP |
| 2004–2007 | Texas A&M |
| 2007–2009 | Kentucky |
| 2011–2012 | Texas Tech |
| 2015–2020 | Ranger College |
| 2020–present | Tarleton State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 207–159 (.566) (college) |
| Tournaments | 3–4 (NCAA Division I) 4–2 (NIT) 0–1 (CBI) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| WAC regular season (2004) | |
| Awards | |
| 2× Big 12 Coach of the Year (2005, 2007) SEC co-Coach of the Year (2008) | |
After leading both UTEP and Texas A&M to postseason appearances one year after poor seasons, Gillispie became the only college basketball coach to be in charge of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) program with the biggest turnaround in two consecutive seasons. Gillispie was known as an excellent recruiter who managed to put together four straight top-25 recruiting classes. In his three seasons at Texas A&M, the Aggies achieved three consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time in the program's history.