Kentucky & Gillispie: Convenience

On Thursday, Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart advocated patience. Kentucky’s priority was not hiring a coach. Kentucky’s priority was hiring the coach. On Thursday, Kentucky hired Texas A&M Coach Billy Gillispie. Gillispie signed a seven-year, $16 million deal.

Immediately, the Louisville Courier-Journal assaulted him with “Gillispie has history of drunk-driving arrests.” Bloggers questioned his personality and recruiting. ESPN lamented him as Kentucky’s third choice. A honeymoon’s semblance was nonexistent.

Combining UTEP and Texas A&M, Gillispie’s record is 100-58. With that stated, he was not chosen. Kentucky is a fading and fractured program. Gillispie was an advancing coach. The pair were mutually cohesive.