College basketball: Gillispie undaunted by job

Billy Gillispie peeked at the seven national championship banners and didn’t flinch. He welcomes the pressure of coaching at college basketball’s winningest school.

“You want to be at a place that expects to win every single game,” said Gillispie, the former Texas A&M coach who was hired Friday to replace Tubby Smith at Kentucky. “You want to be at a place that gives you the opportunity to win every single game, and this is the place.”

Gillispie understands the demands of the 24,000 assistant coaches who pack Rupp Arena every winter and question every coaching decision.

That’s why he didn’t hesitate when offered the seven-year contract that will pay him $2.3 million a year, with another $850,000 in performance and academic bonuses available if he can return the school to its perch among the elite.

The 47-year-old confessed workaholic is 100-58 in five seasons as a coach. He needed two years to rebuild UTEP between 2002 and 2004 before moving on to Texas A&M, where he molded the perennial Big 12 also-rans into contenders. The Aggies went 27-7 this season, making it to the NCAA tournament’s round of 16 for the first time in 27 years.

Santa Clara gets Keating

Santa Clara hired UCLA assistant Kerry Keating as its new head coach to replace the retired Dick Davey.

Keating, 35, served as assistant at UCLA for four seasons, including the Bruins’ back-to-back runs to the Final Four in 2006-07. UCLA posted a 91-41 record during his tenure.

Davey, the West Coast Conference coach of the year, led the Broncos to three straight WCC championships in the mid-1990s and a 251-190 overall record in 15 seasons. He served as assistant coach for 15 years before taking the head coaching job.

K-State promotes aide

Kansas State moved quickly to replace Bob Huggins as men’s coach, promoting assistant Frank Martin to the top job.

The Wildcats also retained Dalonte Hill, another Huggins assistant, as associate head coach. The two are to be introduced at a news conference Monday.

The quick hiring, one day after Huggins resigned to become head coach at West Virginia, seemed designed to help Kansas State hang onto a recruiting class ranked as the nation’s best by Rivals.com.

It will be the first Division I head-coaching job for Martin, 41, a former Cincinnati assistant.

Marshall tabs Jones

Donnie Jones has left Billy Donovan’s Florida basketball staff to take over Marshall’s program.

Donovan announced Jones’ appointment at Florida’s championship celebration.

Jones, who will replace fired coach Ron Jirsa, was to be introduced at a news conference this morning in Huntington, W. Va.

The 40-year-old Jones was hired as a graduate assistant at Marshall in 1990. He spent four years there as an assistant coach, two under Donovan, before following Donovan to Florida in 1996.

Pitino hires son

Louisville men’s coach Rick Pitino hired his 24-year-old son, Richard Pitino, a former assistant at Duquesne.

“I’m looking forward to being hard on him,” Pitino said. “He’s really paid his dues and has become a terrific student of the game and a relentless recruiter.”

Pitino said another assistant, Kevin Willard, left to take the head coaching job at Iona College in New York.

Iona wouldn’t confirm the hiring to replace Jeff Ruland, but said a news conference is scheduled for early next week.