Gillispie, Coaching with no Contract
Maybe Billy Gillispie’s stay in Kentucky won’t be so long after all.
No less than one week following one of the worst home defeats in Kentucky Wildcat basketball history, news that head coach Billy Gillispie does not have a signed contract. And while some might not jump at that news, that all adds to the scrutiny that Billy will be under this season, his first with Kentucky.
I’m not sure why Billy doesn’t have a contract, one of the reasons may be that he doesn’t have an agent and so he doesn’t have the time to talk directly with management. But I think it’s a cause for concern for Wildcats fans. Why? Because if the lights get too bright in the sea of blue, maybe he will bolt early. The loss last week to Gardner-Webb was a humiliating one and they’ll be talking about that one for quite some time.
You might recall that Thad Matta, the head coach at Ohio State, coached for almost a year without a contract. In the end, both parties worked it out and a contract got signed. But I think OSU basketball and Kentucky basketball are 2 very different situations. At OSU, Thad is basically the sideshow to that of Jim Tressel and the football team. At Kentucky, Billy is the main attraction, he has to deal with the reaction of every little move he makes.
Maybe, coaching without a contract is Billy’s way of leaving himself a quick exit strategy if this experiment goes south. He can bolt early if they have a bad season.
Kentucky basketball, Billy Gillispie
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