Amid allegations about player mistreatment, Texas Tech basketball head coach Billy Gillespie resigned from his position on Thursday, citing health concerns.
Gillespie was brought in before last season to help turn the basketball program around, but the team only won one Big 12 game and finished with an 8-23 record.
"Billy has decided to focus on his health, and we wish him a full recovery," athletic director Kirby Hocutt said in a news release according to the Associated Press. "We are proud of the young men that he has brought to this campus. Billy's decision allows him to concentrate on his well-being and allows us to turn our attention to preparations for the upcoming season."
Gillispie didn't return a call or text from The Associated Press seeking comments.
According to the report, Gillispie will receive the rest of his salary, about $467,000, while Chris Walker will lead the team until the program finds an interim head coach.
The resignation comes as Gillispie was being investigated about player mistreatment stemming from issues last fall. The reports came out earlier this month when certain players complained about the hours they were forced to practice as well as the coach forcing an injured player to practice.
Leading scorer Jordan Tolbert even complained that he wouldn't play for Gillispie when he returned from his health issues. Obviously now that isn't a possibility for the coach.
CBSSports.com also reported that Gillispie didn't keep promises he made to coaches and also mishandled player scholarships, leaving certain ones in limbo.
In January the school found that team exceeded practice-time limits in 2011 and imposed a self-punishment of a 12-hour reduction.
Issues began to arise for Gillispie when he was rushed to the hospital Aug. 31 after calling 911, just hours before he was supposed to meet with school officials to discuss the punishments and allegations. On Sept. 10 he made another 911 call and the next day was brought to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., for treatment on his kidneys.
Gillispie replaced Pat Knight at Texas Tech, who took over after his father Bob Knight resigned in 2008. Gillispie signed a five-year contract with Texas Tech.
Controversy has followed Gillespie at every coaching job he has had, including at Kentucky where he was fired after two seasons.
At Kentucky there were issues of player treatment, including tough coaching tactics and verbal abuse. During his time at Kentucky, the team missed the NCAA tournament for the first time in 17 years and Gillispie led the team to a 40-27 record in two years.
He was fired in 2009, after which the school and the coach hit each other with lawsuits. Later that same year Gillispie and Kentucky settled lawsuits against each other, with the coach getting $3 million dollars.
Following his firing, he was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in Lawrenceburg, Ky., which was his third offense since 1999.
Gillispie made a name for himself coaching at UTEP in the Western Athletic Conference, taking the team from a 6-24 record in 2002-03 to 24-8 the next year. He was a finalist for Naismith Coach of the Year before he left to coach at Texas A&M.
While at Texas A&M he led the team to three straight 20-win seasons and was named the AP's Big 12 coach of the year. Following his time at Texas, Gillispie was one of the hottest coaches in college basketball, which led him to get hired at Kentucky.
This latest controversy and resignation might signal the end for Gillispie's coaching career.
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