If Billy Gillispie Is Fired, Kentucky Basketball Should Have Options

The next 24 to 48 hours are sure to be a wild ride for anyone with a vested interest in the University of Kentucky basketball program, with reports surfacing that an announcement will be made regarding the future of Billy Gillispie most likely at a press conference tomorrow afternoon.

Most reports have Billy out as head coach of the Wildcats, but until the announcement is made all talk will just be speculation.

My opinion remains that Billy should remain as the coach for at least one more year as he has not had enough time yet to right the ship. I understand that if he is dismissed that not all of it will be about the performances on the court, but more or less the way he interacts with the media and his role as head coach of the Wildcats.

I say work with him on it and watch him improve. This man has been a winner everywhere he has gone, and I think with time he would put Kentucky back at the top of college basketball.

This man eats, sleeps, and breathes basketball and no one wants to win more than he does. Maybe I am wrong in believing that if given more time he will succeed. If I am wrong, I have no problem admitting it, but I really think at the current time he is still the right man for the job.

If a change is made, then you can expect to hear five or six different names thrown around for the job and maybe more. Billy Donovan, Rick Pitino, John Calipari, Travis Ford, and perhaps even other names will possibly be on Kentucky’s short list.

I think maybe two or three people on that list would consider it. Donovan, from all reports, is once again Kentucky’s main choice, but just two years after he spurned the Wildcats, would he reconsider and take the reigns?

Rick Pitino is the name that plenty of people in Lexington are pining for, and Rick has always loved UK and regretted leaving here, but no way do I think we see Pitino on the sidelines next year.

John Calipari has built a dynasty down in Memphis, and many really believe that he would be a perfect fit for the Cats. But with a past that includes possible recruiting violations, I cannot see Mitch and Lee calling Calipari and offering him the job.

Travis Ford is a man who gets what Kentucky basketball is all about, and many believe he would have the passion to get us back to the top. Will Mitch pull the trigger on a former Wildcat or look elsewhere?

No matter what happens in the next couple of days you can expect to hear anything and everything about what is going on. But until the press conference happens and a decision has been made one way or another, I choose to believe nothing.

When word does break, you can expect constant updates from me and what the decision means for Kentucky basketball.