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Fourth-year Tarleton State basketball coach Billy Gillispie told The News that a medical procedure will force him to take a temporary leave of absence from coaching the Texans.
Tarleton State is 2-2 and scheduled to play two games this week in the SoCal Challenge in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., starting with a Monday game against Austin Peay. Gillispie won’t be on the sideline for that matchup or Wednesday’s game against CSU Bakersfield or Sacramento State.
Gillispie, who turned 64 earlier this month, did not say how long he might be out or specify what procedure he will have, but he said “it’s short-term, not long-term” and “I don’t feel bad at all.” He said his doctor mandated that he not coach or travel until sometime after the procedure.
Gillispie, who had a kidney transplant in 2018, is best known for having coached Texas A&M, Kentucky, UTEP and Texas Tech. He said several medical tests conducted during the past six months and unsuccessful non-surgical treatments led to the need for the procedure. It’s unclear whether the procedure is kidney-related.
The procedure will be done ASAP and should allow me to get back to coaching soon,” Gillispie said. “I will not be on the sideline short-term, but by not allowing the situation to worsen, I should be back on the bench doing what I love the most in a timely fashion.”
Gillispie through the years has had several health scares. In 2012, after allegations surfaced of player mistreatment at Texas Tech, Gillispie was hospitalized for six days with heart attack symptoms and high blood pressure
