Tarleton State head coach Billy Gillispie on indefinite leave from program

Citing medical circumstances, Tarleton State announced Tuesday that head men’s basketball coach Billy Gillispie will be away from the program indefinitely. Gillispie first stepped away on November 19 due to a unnamed medical procedure, just ahead of Tarleton’s trip to Orange County for the SoCal Challenge. The Texans beat Austin Peay and Cal State Bakersfield to claim the Sand Division title.

There have been no confirmed reports regarding the specific medical issue that Gillispie is facing. The 64-year-old coach had a kidney transplant in 2018 and previously resigned from his head coaching role at Texas Tech due to his health, but it’s unclear if this most recent leave is in any way related to that.

In Gillispie’s absence, the team will continue to be led by assistant coach Joseph Jones, who has been with the program since 2021. Jones was a standout player for Gillispie at Texas A&M, where he is in the school’s Hall of Fame. He enjoyed a 14-year professional career overseas before reuniting with his college coach in Tarleton.

The Texans play their first two WAC games this week, going to Stephen F. Austin on 11/29 and then hosting UTRGV on 12/2.

credit to Tarleton State Athletics for the image