Gig em12
10-12-2006, 08:04 AM
ESPN.com's Impact 25 is a primer on the 25 people -- coaches, players, administrators and others -- who should have the most impact on the 2006-07 season.
Billy Gillispie (Texas A&M)
Bio: Age: 46; head coaching stops: UTEP and Texas A&M; led UTEP to the NCAA Tournament in 2004 after the Miners made a remarkable 18-win turnaround (from six wins to 24) in his second season; Gillispie led the Aggies from a winless Big 12 mark to a 21-10 NIT season before guiding them to the NCAAs in his second year, just like he did at UTEP; the Aggies were one long LSU 3-pointer away from moving to the Sweet 16 after beating surging Syracuse in the first round.
Why he will make news: The Aggies are a hot preseason pick for the top 15, possibly the top 10. Texas A&M returns two key players, Joseph Jones and Acie Law, either of whom could compete for Big 12 Player of the Year honors. Gillispie wasn't a household name before a few years ago, but he's quickly getting a reputation as one of the top coaches in the country. The more the Aggies win, the more he'll be in the news.
What's expected: The Aggies should push Kansas for the top spot in the Big 12. They head into the season as a legit candidate for a top-four NCAA seed. Gillispie and his good friend, Kansas coach Bill Self, should be in competition for coach of the year in the league and possibly nationally.
Headlines: The Aggies upgraded the schedule, and games against UCLA in Anaheim and LSU in Baton Rouge will draw national attention. The Aggies will be featured more in the Big 12, allowing them to get their national due.
Fran Fraschilla's take: No coach in America fits his school like this guy. Born and bred in the Lone Star State, Gillispie has worked his way up the high school and college ranks, and it seems as though he knows every high school coach from El Paso to Texarkana. Seventeen of the 19 players on the Aggies' roster, including walk-ons, are homegrown. Don't rule out a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, with Gillispie's two best players, Law and Jones, leading the way.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2617954
Billy Gillispie (Texas A&M)
Bio: Age: 46; head coaching stops: UTEP and Texas A&M; led UTEP to the NCAA Tournament in 2004 after the Miners made a remarkable 18-win turnaround (from six wins to 24) in his second season; Gillispie led the Aggies from a winless Big 12 mark to a 21-10 NIT season before guiding them to the NCAAs in his second year, just like he did at UTEP; the Aggies were one long LSU 3-pointer away from moving to the Sweet 16 after beating surging Syracuse in the first round.
Why he will make news: The Aggies are a hot preseason pick for the top 15, possibly the top 10. Texas A&M returns two key players, Joseph Jones and Acie Law, either of whom could compete for Big 12 Player of the Year honors. Gillispie wasn't a household name before a few years ago, but he's quickly getting a reputation as one of the top coaches in the country. The more the Aggies win, the more he'll be in the news.
What's expected: The Aggies should push Kansas for the top spot in the Big 12. They head into the season as a legit candidate for a top-four NCAA seed. Gillispie and his good friend, Kansas coach Bill Self, should be in competition for coach of the year in the league and possibly nationally.
Headlines: The Aggies upgraded the schedule, and games against UCLA in Anaheim and LSU in Baton Rouge will draw national attention. The Aggies will be featured more in the Big 12, allowing them to get their national due.
Fran Fraschilla's take: No coach in America fits his school like this guy. Born and bred in the Lone Star State, Gillispie has worked his way up the high school and college ranks, and it seems as though he knows every high school coach from El Paso to Texarkana. Seventeen of the 19 players on the Aggies' roster, including walk-ons, are homegrown. Don't rule out a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, with Gillispie's two best players, Law and Jones, leading the way.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2617954