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L E A D E R S H I P
“...perseverance, my parents, and I was fortunate enough
to play for one of the best college basketball
coaches in America in Coach Gillispie.”
— ACIE LAW, FORMER TEXAS A&M STAR ON THE REASONS WHY
HE WAS DRAFTED IN THE NBA’S FIRST ROUND IN 2007
In addition, Gillispie was a member of the only
coaching staff in NCAA history to lead two different
schools to the Elite Eight in successive seasons
— Tulsa in 2000 and Illinois in 2001.
Tulsa registered a 32-5 mark in 1999-00 and
Illinois fashioned a composite mark of 53-17 in
2000-01 and 2001-02, winning back-to-back Big
Ten titles for the first time in 50 years. The Illinois
staff became the first since 1913 to win Big Ten
titles in each of its first two seasons in the league.
Illinois advanced to the Sweet 16 in the 2002
NCAA Tournament.
Tulsa earned a No. 9 national ranking in the
final coaches’ poll in 2000, while Illinois was rated
No. 6 in 2001 and No. 11 in 2002.
His efforts on the recruiting trail helped Illinois
land one of the nation’s top 10 classes in 2002,
featuring All-American Dee Brown, James
Augustine, Aaron Spears, Deron Williams and
Kyle Wilson.
Gillispie was the top assistant and recruiting
coordinator at Baylor from 1994-97 under head
coach Harry Miller. The Bears notched 18 victories
in 1996-97 after consecutive nine-win seasons
the previous two years. Baylor’s 1996 recruiting
class was ranked as high as No. 6 in the country.
A 1983 graduate of Southwest Texas State with
a bachelor’s degree in Education, Gillispie got his
start in coaching as a graduate assistant at his alma
mater from 1982-85.
From 1987-93, Gillispie served as head coach at
three different high schools in Texas — Copperas
Cove, New Braunfels Canyon and Killeen Ellison.
His last prep team at Killeen Ellison recorded a
32-6 record in 1992-93 and set school records for
winning percentage and points scored while finishing
the year ranked No. 4 in the state.
Gillispie joined the JUCO ranks from 1993-94
as an assistant and recruiting coordinator at South
Plains Junior College in Levelland, Texas.
Born in Abilene on Nov. 7, 1959, Gillispie was the
middle of five children and the only boy. When he
“He’s revitalized this program,
stimulated the interest and demonstrated
that he’s going to put
Kentucky back in the limelight of
college basketball.”
–– JOE B. HALL, UK BASKETBALL COACH (1973-85)
30 K E N T U C K Y B A S K E T B A L L