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He was fired from one of the most prestigious jobs in sports 14 months ago—he’s ready to go back to work. Billy Gillispie was in Horseshoe Bay, June 2, to address the recently-formed Sports Club. Gillispie, from 2002 to 2009, was the head basketball coach at UTEP, Texas A&M, and Kentucky.

“This past year I watched a lot of practices of NBA and college teams,” Gillispie told the Llano News, “and I attended high school games. I want to be prepared for my next opportunity. I do miss having a team to coach every day.”

The Abilene-born Gillispie lives in Dallas. He grew up in Graford, about 65 miles west of Fort Worth. He was a head coach in Killeen and Copperas Cove, while his positions as an assistant in college included stops at Baylor and Tulsa. Texas-El Paso hired him in November 2002—right, about one shot clock away from the start of the season.

“That was one of the best jobs I ever did,” Gillispie declared, referring to his first year leading the Miners. Not many would agree—the team won six games. “The guys played hard; they played the game the way it should be played.” They played it the way the fans wanted the next year when UTEP captured 24 victories.

Such success led to College Station, and he inherited a team which had won zero Big 12 contests in 2004. The Gillispie-led Aggies would collect 70 triumphs in his three seasons there.

So, what’s the secret to such turnarounds? “It’s having good players and directing them the right way,” was the modest response. “People think you’re a smart guy, but it’s the commitment of the school and the players. He had nice things to say about his predecessor, Melvin Watkins, who had trouble winning, but, “He recruited well, and I got those guys.

“Athletic director Bill Byrne,” Gillispie observed, “changed the whole landscape of basketball at A&M. He emphasized the game as never before. He said to me, ‘Just win.’

“I told the players when I first met them I didn’t want to erase the past, I wanted to learn from it and build on it. You tell them what you believe, and that was ‘we were going to win and win soon.’ I was one of the few guys who believed it, but it happened because of the university support and the guys on the floor.”

The Aggies won 21 times in 2004-2005, most wins by the school since the 1979-80 campaign. Some of the players who were on the court for Gillispie in his tenure at A&M were Antoine Wright, Acie Law, and Josh Carter. The Aggies reached the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2007 before losing to Memphis 65-64. The Tigers’ coach was John Calipari, the man who would succeed Gillispie at Kentucky.

That loss to the U of M was Gillispie’s last hours as A&M head coach. He went on to the heralded Wildcats where he won 40 games in two years and was fired. 40 games is pocket change for the folks who watch the action—and expect championships—at Rupp Arena.

“I loved it at Kentucky,” Gillispie insisted. “I have no regrets about leaving UTEP or A&M, although some people told me not to go. I don’t live my life like that. The fans at UK were great. There’s no animosity about the firing; that’s part of the business.” Maybe pocket change was a bit strong.

Gillispie was not shy discussing the huge problem he brought upon himself in August 2009—he was guilty of DUI in Kentucky. “I made a mistake; it was a real bad decision. I can’t act like it didn’t happen. I should have known better. I have to deal with it and move on.”

Moving on could include gaining a fourth head coaching job in the near future. “I love college basketball,” he states. “I love the recruiting, which is a passion of mine. You have players who, when they leave you, have their whole lives in front of them. Relationships with players last forever.”