http://blogs.chron.com/lopezblog/archives/2007/04/behind_the_scen.html

http://blogs.chron.com/lopezblog/archives/2007/04/behind_the_scen.html

cant summarize for us so we dont have to click the link (that you didnt provide in clickable format)?

Thanks Elmo.

The article places a different light on things. Not saying that Gillispie was perfect here, but he's not the bad that everyone thinks he is.

eh? That article doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

(quote)Behind the scenes of A&M's basketball soap opera:
The past two weeks of the A&M basketball saga has proved one thing more than anything else. Aggies athletic director Bill Byrne is either hard-headed, self-serving, brilliant, or a little bit of all three.

Several sources who have been tack-on with all the information they have offered me over the past two weeks broke down the A&M basketball coaching saga as follows.

Here's how the puzzle pieces fit: As the Aggie basketball season was winding down, former University of Houston coach Pat Foster, a close friend of Gillispie's worked as an intermediary between the University of Arkansas and Gillispie.

The Hogs were working behind the scenes as far back as early-February, with an eye on Gillispie as Stan Heath's replacement. Heath knew of his ouster long before it came and tried to force Razorbacks AD Frank Broyles' hand, by asking for assurances that he would stay. He didn't get them.

Meanwhile, Gillispie tried to stay out of the fray as he tried to win a Big 12 title and take this team to the Final Four. He spoke with Foster only occasionally, telling his friend he was happy at A&M, but come the end of the season they would talk seriously about it again.

Gillispie's thoughts were, he didn't want to be put into a position where he would have to lie either in public or to his players.

Broyles continued to talk with Foster and felt confident they would get Gillispie, to the point that he didn't even compile a second list of potential candidates.

Gillispie spoke with Foster after the Aggies were eliminated in the Sweet 16. What he didn't realize was Byrne, aware of Arkansas' interest, refused to take calls from anyone associated with Arkansas. He was buying time in an effort to put pressure on the A&M Board of Regents to get Gillispie a new contract and begin construction in earnest on a new state of the art basketball facility.

Byrne's biggest mistake: He never told Gillispie any of this. Instead, he kept Gillispie in the dark. Gillispie learned about the details of the new contract and the Board's moves to keep him from a member of the media. Understandably, he was upset with Byrne.

When the contract was ironed out and Byrne flew to the Final Four to get Gillispie to sign the deal, Gillispie told him he planned on being the Aggies coach. At the same time, Foster was getting calls from Kentucky about that job.

Gillispie began having doubts about just how much he could trust Byrne. He planned to sign the contract even after getting a firm offer from Kentucky while on the west coast attending an awards ceremony involving point guard Acie Law.

While contemplating the offer, Gillispie called several close friends in basketball to ask about the Kentucky job. He hedged when one trusted friend in professional basketball told him, "The best day of your life at Kentucky will be the day you're announced as head coach. The rest are going to be hell."

Gillispie went back and forth until deciding it would be stupid to tell the Wildcats no and Byrne already had made contact with a representative for Turgeon, tossing out contract numbers close to those offered to Gillispie. Also, a source within the A&M department told Gillispie that Byrne had made contact with a member of the Board of Regents, in an attempt to protect his own hide, making Gillispie look like he was pouting and being difficult. In fact, the exact opposite was true.

All along, Gillispie was looking for a lifetime commitment, letting the thing play out.

Once Gillispie took the job, Byrne alienated several trusted sources in basketball -- the same ones who raved about Gillispie three years ago -- by keeping them out of the loop on this coaching search. Byrne decided all of a sudden he knew more about basketball than the same people who handed him Gillispie on a silver platter.

Most interesting: Longtime coach Rick Majerus contacted a pair of basketball people close to the A&M program, expressing great interest in the job. But when these sources tried to contact Byrne to endorse Majerus, Byrne refused to return their calls. UNLV coach Lon Kruger, through another A&M basketball source, also tried to contact Byrne. The A&M AD didn't want to hear any of that, either.

Make no mistake. The Aggies could have had Majerus or Kruger. No doubt about it.

Instead, Byrne made every call on the future of A&M basketball on his own, start-to-finish. He allowed Gillispie to leave on bad terms and refused to consult with some of the finest basketball minds in the game.

Mark Turgeon may be perfect for the Aggies. Maybe not. Either way, it's on Byrne.
(quote)

Hmmmm, interesting article. How much truth is there in it? It does make you think though.

Even if all of that is true, Gillespie still didn't act responsibly to his players or the fanbase.

Yeah right he wanted a lifelong committment from the school he loved so much.

That's why he text messaged his players to tell them he was leaving and was on the first flight to Lexington.

Please Mr. Lopez, lets all just move on.

In fact that article makes no sense. "Gillispie was unaware that Bill Byrne was trying to set up a contract"

How in the heck would Gillispie be unaware?

So Byrne screwed us...great.

At least some truth. Byrne and Gillispie are both passionate men with big egos. I think that makes a lot of it fairly believeable.

It's sad Billy will take the fall for Byrne's blunder.

I think the blog is only the very tip of a huge iceberg. There was a lot going on between 2 very enormous ego's. Who's right and who's wrong? Like most relationships that break up, there's probably a little blame on both sides.

[This message has been edited by NumberEinAg (edited 4/9/2007 1:17a).]

The plot thickens! Crap, I don't know what to believe. Oh well, BG - nice to know you, you're no longer my concern. MT, welcome aboard and I hope you become the coach that BG should have been.

BB, I hope none of that is true and we can trust you with our bball program (angry face here)

Yup, Lopez chronicles do not make much sense. My guess is there are some truth to it.

How could BCG not know the new contract is in the work.

And what is there for BB to hide trying to give BCG a good raise and sped up facilities construction through BOR.

That article has a lot of inconsistencies.

It almost reads like a damage control piece planted by friends of TKC.

quote:

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Gillispie spoke with Foster after the Aggies were eliminated in the Sweet 16. What he didn't realize was Byrne, aware of Arkansas' interest, refused to take calls from anyone associated with Arkansas. He was buying time in an effort to put pressure on the A&M Board of Regents to get Gillispie a new contract and begin construction in earnest on a new state of the art basketball facility.

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How would Byrne refusing to talk to Arkansas make any difference?!

quote:

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When the contract was ironed out and Byrne flew to the Final Four to get Gillispie to sign the deal, Gillispie told him he planned on being the Aggies coach.

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Then why didn't TKC just sign the deal?

It didn't make much sense, but here's what I gathered. It basically says that it was Byrne who kept TKC in the dark and was deceitful about things when he found out that TKC was talking to arkie. We all know that TKC lied about his contact with arkie. The article says TKC left for UK b/c of Byrne's actions, rather than the fact that it's a dream job for a basketball coach with no tie downs, who had been flirting with another school for over 3 months.

John Lopez continues to dumbfound me. He has some good articles from time to time, but he is generally clued out about college athletics and what actually happens there. I reference his notions about football and BCS payouts, and how he still can't get them right.

Not sure this makes sense. If he wanted a 'lifetime' commitment why then was Arkansas so convinced they would get him? He consistently shopped around and allowed his name to be circulated, when other coaches immediately would take their name out of the hat.

Gig 'em

[This message has been edited by Dirty1talian (edited 4/9/2007 1:37a).]

I don't buy that Gillispie was looking for "lifetime commitment" from A&M while he had been secretly in contact about the Arkansas job. That makes no sense.

Gillispie may have left so quickly because he was unhappy with Byrne, but Byrne only did something about the situation because Gillispie was obviously flirting with other programs in the first place. I don't think this is on Byrne.

thank god he did not get Majerus!

wow. page 1.

im sorry, this article makes no sense to me. i know byrne has a big ego, and i have no doubt MT will be a good coach here, but why would byrne let his pride get in the way of resigning a contract with the best coach we have on campus and one of the best in the country?

Sounds like a bitter A&M Official was left out of having input into the coaching decision, and called whining to Lopez, who lazily spit out this post with some inconsistencies and wild accusations and assumptions.

Whatever. There's probably some truth in there amongst the rabble.

quote:

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but why would byrne let his pride get in the way of resigning a contract with the best coach we have on campus and one of the best in the country?

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Ummm...this is the same guy who left Nebraska because they wouldn't raise his $350K salary.

Lopez says in the article BB took the new contract for BCG to sign in atlanta and all of a sudden BCG decided not to because he found out BB trying to give him a big raise working through bOR behind his back?

Let me get this straight - did BB trying to screw BCG trying to give him a big raise?

I really have a difficult time following Lopez logic.

Also, he said BCG told Foster he doe not want to lie to his payers and in the public? Har Lo...
was this even an issue? Are you kidding me?

He told his players he is not leaving. Meanwhile he had been discussing Arkie job with Foster.

Did Lopez read his own article before he put to press?

quote:

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but why would byrne let his pride get in the way of resigning a contract with the best coach we have on campus

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The article states that byrne wanted to resign BCG, but BCG was angry with the deceit Byrne used to get him to resign.

Um, if Byrne's insiders are going to suggest Majerus or Krueger, I'll go with Byrne's pick in a heartbeat.

quote:

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Also, a source within the A&M department told Gillispie that Byrne had made contact with a member of the Board of Regents, in an attempt to protect his own hide, making Gillispie look like he was pouting and being difficult. In fact, the exact opposite was true.

All along, Gillispie was looking for a lifetime commitment, letting the thing play out.

---

Again, this makes no sense.

Was BCG expecting the regents to reconvene and make up a different contract? What sort of "lifetime commitment" did he want?


The more I re-read this, the more it sounds like a hit piece on Byrne planted by TKC proxies, filled with lots of inconsistencies and "WTF?" plot points.

quote:

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I don't buy that Gillispie was looking for "lifetime commitment" from A&M while he had been secretly in contact about the Arkansas job. That makes no sense.

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There is no doubt from anyone that he was getting a lifetime commitment from A&M. There may have been grumbling about pace of facilities construction and salaries, but the committment was there on A&Ms part.

I still believe that Gillispie was looking to ascend to an elite program and get away from the same conference as his buddy/mentor Bill Self.

DirtyItalian is right. Everybody on TexAgs knew a new contract was in the works for BCG, but he didn't know himself?

That article makes no sense on a bunch of other points as well:

BCG got a firm offer from UK while attending an awards ceremony with Acie on the West Coast? Wasn't he already the UK coach by then (or was there another awards ceremony I'm forgetting)? And if it was some prior awards ceremony, how did he have a firm offer in hand since UK was still waiting on Donovan?

Gillispie was "going back-and-forth" about the UK job? But was on a plane inside of an hour after getting the call from UK's AD?

Gillispie was looking for a lifetime commitment from A&M? And that was why he had Foster talking with Arkansas for months? And talking with Arkansas in terms that led Broyles not even to consider identifying secondary candidates?

BCG wasn't aware that BB was avoiding calls from Arkansas? Again, I knew that from reading this board.

Byrne offered Turgeon contract numbers close to those offered to Gillispie? I'll believe that when I see it.

quote:

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Did Lopez read his own article before he put to press?

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I think he would take a do over. He was probably trying to piece together his notes from the whiny phone call from the disgruntled Aggie official then said "screw it, I'm going to bed"

quote:

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Ummm...this is the same guy who left Nebraska because they wouldn't raise his $350K salary.

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Which is why he came here for less. Riiiight.

That article is BS.

For starters, Billy was already HC at Kentucky when said awards show on the west coast took place.

You know what this sounds like? Someone is trying to repair Billy's image so he can get back into Houston to do some recruiting.

Or someone who hates Byrne. Or maybe some of both.

2K

Let me get this straight - BB found out BCG had been cheating behind his back talking to Arkie, then BCG found out BB knows he has been cheating and that BB is trying to give him a new contract that will pay him mucho dineros but BCG refused to sign the contract because he can't trust BB anymore?

I see the logic here.

It's the dumbest piece of articles I've ever read.

When the average Houston sports fan tries to decipher that in the morning they will remember/understand one point: "Wow, the Aggies could have had Rick Majerus, but their AD is too incompetent"

This means nothing.