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Gillispie Out As UK Opts For New Coach

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The Associated Press

The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 28, 2009

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Impatient for a winner, Kentucky fired Billy Gillispie as coach Friday after just two years, too many losses and too little appreciation for all the things that come with running college basketball's all-time winningest program.

Saying the Wildcats deserve a leader who understands "this is not just another coaching job," athletic director Mitch Barnhart and president Lee Todd made the unusual decision to dismiss Gillispie less than two years after he was hired to replace Tubby Smith.

"He's a good basketball coach," Barnhart said. "Sometimes it's just not the right fit, and that's my responsibility."

It's a move Barnhart felt was necessary following a couple of turbulent seasons in which the Wildcats struggled to improve under their hard-working but at times aloof coach.

Hired to rejuvenate a program after Smith bolted for Minnesota, Gillispie struggled to find any consistency on the court or off it.

Gillispie went 40-27 in two seasons with the Wildcats, including a 22-14 mark this year that tied for the second-most losses in the program's 106-year history. A stumble down the stretch left the Wildcats out of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1991.

Yet Gillispie's problem went beyond wins and losses.

Barnhart said rebuilding years are expected when a new coach is hired. The trouble were "philosophical differences" between the university and Gillispie on the role the school's coach plays in the fabric of a fan base that refers to itself as Big Blue Nation.

Barnhart said the university did not plan to pay Gillispie a $6 million buyout that was to be part of his seven-year deal that was never signed.

Gillispie agreed to a memorandum of understanding on the day he was hired in April 2007. A deal appeared to be a formality, but neither side could come to terms. In the end, the absence of a formal contract may have cost Gillispie a substantial buyout. Barnhart said the school would abide by the memorandum of understanding, but he considers it to be a year-to-year contract. Gillispie made $2.3 million annually.

Alabama Hires VCU's Grant

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Anthony Grant was hired as Alabama's coach after three successful seasons with Virginia Commonwealth.

Alabama athletic director Mal Moore told The Associated Press on Friday night that a deal had been reached. A formal agreement was expected to be signed later in the night.

The 42-year-old Grant, a former Florida assistant, led VCU to two NCAA Tournaments in three seasons. Moore said Grant already had informed his team and VCU officials of his decision.

Moore and executive athletic director Dave Hart interviewed Grant in Richmond last weekend. He spent Wednesday touring Alabama's campus and meeting with other university officials.

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