Men’s Basketball Coach Billy Gillispie Reinstated at Tarleton State

Billy Gillispie, the coach at Texas Tech, “faced allegations of player mistreatment” in 2011 and 2012.¹ In September 2012, he resigned due to health concerns.² Gillispie resigned about a month after the school began to investigate the claims.³ The claims were from Texas Tech players raising concerns about their treatment by Gillispie.⁴

During Gillispie’s time at Kentucky, there were also concerns about his “coaching style.”⁵ In 2009, he was fired from Kentucky.⁶ The athletic director said that Gillispie “’wasn’t the right fit for the program.’”⁷ Later that year, there was a three-million-dollar settlement over his firing.⁸ Gillispie is known for his “tough practices,” and tells the prospective recruits this when entering his program.⁹

Tarleton State recently reinstated Gillispie as the men’s basketball coach.¹⁰ He was placed on temporary administrative leave last Friday after an investigation of an anonymous complaint.¹¹ Tarleton State athletic director, Steve Uryasz, said in a statement on Monday, “’We’re thankful to the Texas A&M system for working expeditiously in addressing this anonymous complaint. The welfare of our student-athletes is of the utmost importance to Tarleton State University and the Texas A&M System. We look forward to the start of the Texan men’s basketball season.’”¹² No details as to the complaint are available.¹³

Gillispie is in his sixth season at Tarleton State.¹⁴ This is the longest of his five Division I head coaching positions, including his time at UTEP and Texas A&M.¹⁵ At Tarleton State, Gillispie’s record is 78-74, and he has a 226-182 record in his thirteen seasons as a head coach.¹⁶ He also has four NCAA tournament appearances.¹⁷ It remains to be seen whether the latest complaint will result in his termination.

1. Dave Wilson, Tarleton State coach Billy Gillispie reinstated after review, ESPN (Oct. 6, 2025) https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/46514003/tarleton-state-men-basketball-coach-billy-gillispie-reinstated-review-anonymous-complaint ↩︎
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Featured Image: Madison Williams, Tarleton State Reinstates Basketball Coach Billy Gillispie, Sports Illustrated (Oct. 6, 2025) https://www.si.com/college-basketball/tarleton-state-reinstates-basketball-coach-billy-gillispie