Billy Gillispie is finalizing a two-year contract to remain the men's basketball coach at Tarleton State, sources told ESPN.
The deal still requires board approval.
Gillispie, who has coached at Tarleton State since 2020-21, has not coached since Nov. 14 due to what the school called “medical circumstances.”
He has been medically cleared to return since Feb. 1, but has opted to remain off the bench during games out of respect for interim coach Joseph Jones. Gillispie, 64, has been involved with the show behind the scenes in an advisory role, which he will remain in for the remainder of the season.
Jones, who played for Gillispie at Texas A&M and has been a part of his staff since 2020, has guided Tarleton State to a 22-7 overall record and a 15-3 mark in conference play. The Texans are on a 10-game winning streak that includes an upset of Grand Canyon and are projected as the No. 2 seed in the WAC tournament.
This is Tarleton State's final season of transition to Division I and the school is not eligible for the NCAA tournament.
The success of the team Gillispie put together and his doctors' clean bill of health led to the two-year extension. Jones, who helped build the program under Gillispie, would be the favorite to succeed him when he finishes at Tarleton.
Gillispie previously coached at UTEP, Texas A&M, Kentucky and Texas Tech, and coached in four NCAA tournaments at three different schools. She has dealt with health issues at different stages of her career and required a kidney transplant after being diagnosed with kidney failure in 2017.
Next season will be Gillispie's fifth at Tarleton State, his longest stint as a head coach in any of his Division I head coaching jobs.
