The Jacksonville JAM, Jacksonville’s professional basketball team has hired former Florida A&M head coach Mike Gillespie as Head Coach for the upcoming 2007-2008 Premier Basketball League season.
"Mike Gillespie is one of the most outstanding basketball minds in the country and his presence here with the Jam will help elevate an already impressive roster that we are forming for the upcoming season,” said Jam GM Felix Krupczynski. “It is a rare opportunity to bring in the experience, drive and knowledge that someone like Coach Gillespie brings to an organization.”
Gillespie served as FAMU basketball coach for the last six seasons, and compiled a record of 60-64, winning two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Championships, and two NCAA tournament appearances in 2004 and 2007. This past season he led the Rattlers to their first 20-win season since 1989-1990.
Good for him. Our loss, unfortunately, is Jacksonville's gain. One note here, though. Had it been, say, a prominent coach of color, I dare say that he would have been picked up that quickly (or even quickly--forget the "that quickly"--by a major (or even minor team), paid the kind of $$ he's contracted to make, and offered the kind of deal & perks that he's been offered--he and his son, who went on to a big organization. I'm not hating, mind you, but we all know that it's a double standard out there for us and them. Take, for instance, Billy Joe. The man has expressed severe interes in wishing to gain a coaching job somewhere--age withstanding--and he didn't commit any crime--and no one has come calling. And, of course, we know that BJ is good people as well as a good coach.
ReplyDeleteGillespie acted in a very self-destructive manner and unfortunately, so did Ammons in firing Gillespie. Gillespie was an excellent coach. He knows basketball very well and he knows how to get the very best from his players. Ammons, like all FAMU presidents in the past, seems preoccupied with getting rid of people he did not appoint, even when the people he is firing are excellent at their job. I really doubt that the replacements are nearly as good. This is certainly the same pattern as Gainous and Bryant and FAMU is going to suffer for it.
ReplyDeleteThis is certainly the same pattern as Gainous and Bryant and FAMU is going to suffer for it.
ReplyDeleteThis is not the same situation by a long shot. Getting rid of a basketball coach will not bring an institution to its knees.
Fred Gainous, under heavy pressure from individuals like Jim Corbin and Castell Bryant, fired all the senior officials in the controller's office who had the institutional knowledge of FAMU's finances. After that shake-up in 2002, FAMU experienced its first bad financial statement audits in more than 20 years.
James Ammons has established a very solid financial team of people with experience in getting good audits at both FAMU and NCCU. He's even rehired V.K. Sharma, who led FAMU to clean financial statements every year.
It's clear that Ammons knows what's he doing in terms of FAMU's financial house and that it's back in good hands under his watch.
There is no way you can compare the past dangerous personnel changes in the financial division with non-life threatening coach changes in the athletic division.
11:38pmm
ReplyDeleteYour argument holds no merit, what mother wants hand over their young child to a married man who exhibits such imoral behavior.
Coach G, was out of control !!!!
He's an excellent coach. He shouldn't been fired. Mabey given a brief suspension or something.
ReplyDeleteAbilities aside, Coach G fired himself ! I'm glad, however, that he's been given a second chance.
ReplyDeleteYou can't separate a mans career from his personal life. If the personal life is in shambles, you can bet that his job performance is soon to follow.
ReplyDeleteFor legal reasons, the University couldn't afford to keep the coach. He posed a great liability to the University if he had been retained and had continued that behavior. There's no telling what he might have done had he stayed. The University wasn't going to take any chances, good coach or not. Suppose, for instance, he had started stalking one of the female basketball players or a female faculty member or staff member and then he just got all out of control with it and the behavior turned deadly or seriously injurious to the the woman. The university would certainly be liable for his behavior in view of the fact that they knew of his past offenses and past warnings. He was a good coach, in terms of what he was hired to do, but obviously he has/had some serious issues that had/have not been addressed. Famu did the right thing by letting him go. A person's safety always trumps a winning season. (And I think that's what many people have the tendancy to forget.) Let him be someone else's problem.
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