Could Billy Gillispie Land in Memphis?

There is a new rumor floating around today that Billy Gillispie could possibly get a shot at the Memphis head coaching position that was vacated by new Kentucky-coach John Calipari. How ironic would it be if Kentucky and Memphis essentially conducted a DI coaching trade?

Matt Jones at KSR reported a piece from an article in the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper. That paragraph states:

The appearance of trading coaches with Kentucky would be odd, if not off-putting to some. But let's face it. If Calipari had gone anywhere else, who's the best, most accomplished coach available? There's no doubt, it's Gillispie, who has been coach of the year in the Big 12 (2005, 2007) and the SEC (2008). Two years ago, nobody was hotter than Gillispie. And he wants the job. Wouldn't it be a heck of a story if the two parties who got wrecked by Kentucky join forces, both with something to prove? Now that's a "Wow" hire.

Here is a link to that article

I decided to a check into this rumor and sure enough, Bill Self at Kansas is making a Gillispie-to-Memphis push, as well. Dan Wolken on TheMemphisEdge.com site conducted an interview with Self this morning. Here are Self's comments:

“Hes the best recruiter I’ve been around. I wish he could get involved (with Memphis).”

“Billy is tough, and although this is a setback in many people’s eyes for him, what went down at Kentucky, he’ll see it as an opportunity to do something else at a different place, and I know he’s hungry to coach. He’s as hard a worker as I’ve ever been around. I think anybody, especially someone that’s recruited in the area, any school in the proximity of the south or southwest would be really crazy for not at least looking into him as a potential candidate because he can win and win big.

I think he can get players and I know he can coach ‘em.”

Dan Wolken adds that he has been told that Daniel Orton would likely follow Billy Gillispie if he were hired at a division I program.

Here is report on the Memphis Edge site

And finally, a previous article from the Memphis Edge in which Wolken describes a Gillispie/Memphis relationship as "the two parties who got screwed over by Kentucky joining forces with something to prove."

UPDATE: Memphis has hired assistant Josh Pastner to replace Calipari. The Gillispie job hunt continues...