Downfall?
Are things getting too hot for Gillispie?
If Billy Gillispie isn’t sweating yet living in the country’s biggest college basketball fishbowl, the temperature in the sauna just eclipsed one hundred degrees.
Yesterday, reports surfaced and were later confirmed that freshman Alex Legion has decided to transfer out of Kentucky. The former four-star recruit was supposed to be one of the key signings by Gillispie heading into the season and now Legion has decided to take his ball and play somewhere else. Worse yet, speculation has it that Legion did not get along with Gillispie and that is the sole reason why he is leaving.
Just when you thought that was the extent of the problem, more rampant rumors indicate that the desertion may not end with Legion. It appears that at least one or more players are also considering leaving big blue for greener pastures elsewhere.
All of this is very damaging for first-year head coach Billy Gillispie. Once seen as the savior after the Tubby Smith stagnation, Gillispie appears to be headed for a much worse fate. It’s one thing to be losing games to mid-major division one teams like Gardner-Webb at home. It’s an entirely different thing when players from within are questioning Gillispie’s authority and coaching, especially when these are players that Gillispie recruited himself.
Now, there is the other side of fan opinion. Some fans are remaining optimistic, willing to give Gillispie the benefit of the doubt. After all, Legion has had a history of school hopping through his high school years. And I would agree with that. Except that, Legion was a kid Gillispie recruited himself, as in he flew to meet Alex and his parents in their home. And Legion was one of those big time gets for Gillispie, one that he trumpeted as key to the rebuilding. Now it appears Gillispie is tooting a different horn, and who can blame him, he’s drowning in his own bad fortunes.
I think at the end of the day, Gillispie just isn’t the right man for the job. Billy Donovan was a better fit. Donovan can handle the pressure, the media glare, in fact he thrives on it. Gillispie is best when he can take a non-basketball school and make them competitive, like at Texas A&M and El-Paso.
December 8th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
How do you know Donovan can handle the pressure? He doesn’t have any pressure on him. Meyer is the only coach at Florida that has to win or he’s out. As for Gillispie, give him 2 or 3 years before you say “he’s not the right man for the job”.
December 8th, 2007 at 9:04 pm
Donovan had to coach under perhaps the greatest pressure to win back-to-back last year, and delivered. No disrespect to Gillispie, but I think Donovan is a much better big game coach than Gillispie.
I think Gillispie would do much better in a place like Florida or LSU where his every move isn’t being dissected.
December 10th, 2007 at 7:36 pm
[...] Obviously, disappointment would generally describe the overall feeling by the big blue nation. Disappointment in Billy Gillispie as a coach, and disappointment in the players. Sea of Blue makes a good point that it is easy to point the [...]
December 18th, 2007 at 10:55 pm
[...] right now and Sea of Blue is doing his best to put on a brave face. There seems to be 2 camps, the fire Billy Gillispie camp and the give him more time camp. Sea of Blue is of the give him more time [...]