Jordan Tolbert rebukes Billy Gillispie

• Recommend0
• Tweet0
• Comments0
• Email
• Print

Texas Tech leading scorer Jordan Tolbert said Monday he doesn't want to play for Billy Gillispie if the coach returns from an extended medical leave.

"I don't," Tolbert said by phone. "I don't. Maybe I would for the assistants. I haven't put that much thought into it. There is a big sense of urgency. I don't want to play for him if he comes back."

Gillispie is on indefinite sick leave while his bosses investigate allegations that he mistreated his players during practices.

Tolbert was one of the returning players who met with Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt two weeks ago after the compliance office queried the players about excessive practice time.

Tolbert said the players have not been informed about Gillispie's status or his health update after he was released last Thursday from University Medical Center following a six-day stay.

Texas Tech spokesperson Blayne Beal said Monday that Gillispie is taking sick days and it was not clear how long he will be out. The Texas native who is entering his second year as coach of the Red Raiders did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Tolbert said the players were told that they would meet with Hocutt once he was able to meet with Gillispie. Beal said that meeting had not been set up as of Sunday night and that there was no timetable for a meeting.

[+] Enlarge

Ray Carlin/Icon SMITexas Tech's Jordan Tolbert, one of the Big 12's leading freshmen last season, says he doesn't want to play again for coach Billy Gillispie.

But no decision could be made on the second-year coach until a meeting occurred. Multiple close friends of Gillispie in the coaching profession have told ESPN.com that they have not been able to reach Gillispie by phone or text for the past 10 days.

"We just don't know," Tolbert said. "We're waiting to find out like everyone else. I haven't seen or talked to him in two or three weeks."

Tolbert said the players have been working out with the assistant coaches during Gillispie's absence. Tolbert averaged 11.5 points and 5.7 rebounds as a freshman on the Red Raiders' 1-17 Big 12 team (8-23 overall).

"We still can be good," Tolbert said. "But we do need a coach."

Hocutt last week announced that the school had reprimanded Gillispie in January for exceeding practice-time limits the previous fall. The letter included language that there would be "no tolerance for disregard of rules," Hocutt told The Associated Press.

The school penalized itself for the overage, docking twice the number of hours that Gillispie had exceeded during a two-week period in October or 12 hours and 20 minutes. An unidentified assistant coach was also reprimanded.

The NCAA allows 20 hours of practice per week.

Information from The Associateed Press was used in this report.

• Recommend0
• Tweet0
• Comments0
• Email
• Print
• Subscribe

Andy Katz | email

Senior Writer, ESPN.com

• Follow
• Archive

• Senior college basketball writer for ESPN.com
• 22 years covering college basketball, including on TV
• Former president of U.S. Basketball Writers Association