Tarleton State Coach Billy Gillispie Placed On Leave Amid Investigation

Tarleton State men’s basketball coach Billy Gillispie has been placed on temporary administrative leave as the university investigates an anonymous complaint, the school announced Friday.

Tarleton State Investigating Coach Billy Gillispie

The school said the Texas A&M University System has initiated “an employee conduct review” after receiving an anonymous complaint. Associate head coach Glynn Cyprien has taken over as acting head coach.

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, no details of the nature of the complaint were immediately available, and there is no timeline for how long the investigation could take.

Tarleton State athletics “will not comment further on the ongoing university personnel matter.”

Tarleton State announces update to Texan Men’s Basketball coaching staff Friday.

Story: https://t.co/3QyABL4qAg pic.twitter.com/npAmKs9Ovb

— Tarleton State Athletics (@TarletonSports) October 3, 2025

Gillispie faced allegations of player mistreatment while he was the coach at Texas Tech in 2011 and 2012.

In September 2012, he resigned as the Red Raiders coach, citing health concerns. The resignation came about a month after the school said it was investigating the claims.

Texas Tech players reportedly expressed concerns about the way they were being treated by Gillispie.

Kentucky Fired Gillispie In 2009

Gillispie’s coaching style was also called into question during his time at Kentucky, including the treatment of players and staff in the athletic department.

Per Thamel, Gillispie was fired in 2009, with Kentucky athletic director saying Gillispie “wasn’t the right fit for the program.” A $3 million settlement over his firing was reached later that year.

Gillispie, 65, is entering his sixth season at Tarleton State, the longest of his five Division I head coaching stints. He also coached at UTEP and Texas A&M.

The Abilene native has led the Texans to a 78-74 (.513) record, including a 25-10 (.714) mark in 2023-24 and a CIT appearance. He’s gone 226-182 (.554) in 13 seasons as a head coach with four NCAA Tournament appearances.

Glynn Cyprien Entering 36th Coaching Season

Meanwhile, Cyprien is a longtime college assistant with stops that include UNLV, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Kentucky, Memphis and Texas Tech.

The 2025-26 campaign will be Cyprien’s 36th season in the coaching profession.

Cyprien has nearly three decades of experience between the NBA, the NBA G League, the NCAA Division I, and the Junior Olympic levels.

He has served as a head coach, an associate head coach, and an assistant coach during his career in addition to executive office experience with the Memphis Grizzlies.

As an assistant coach, Cyrpien has been part of 552 victories over his 28 seasons at the collegiate level. At the Division I level, he has appeared in 12 NCAA Tournaments and four National Invitational Tournaments (NIT).