Texas Tech has hired Billy Gillispie as its head basketball coach, signing him to a five year contract. Gillispie had successful tenures at both UTEP and Texas A&M. He has been out of college basketball since Kentucky fired him in 2009.

Gillispie is a Texas native. He also has a reputation for quickly rescuing programs, in Texas. He took UTEP to a WAC title and an NCAA tournament bid in two years. He brought Texas A&M to the Sweet 16 in year three. He will have some work to do with the Red Raiders. They have six seniors leaving and haven’t reached the tournament since 2007.

Basketball-wise it makes sense, though it’s still a curious hire for Texas Tech. The University fired Mike Leach purportedly for sequestering Craig James in an equipment shed, yet hires a basketball coach who forced a player to sit in a bathroom stall and to ride home in the equipment truck? Gillispie has also been arrested three times on suspicion of drunk driving.

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