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Billy Gillispie is finalizing a two-year deal to remain the men's basketball coach at Tarleton State, sources told ESPN. The deal still requires board approval. Gillispie, who has been the coach at Tarleton State since 2020-21, has not coached since Nov. 14 due to what the school referred to as "medical circumstances." He has been medically cleared to return since Feb. 1, but has chosen to stay off the sidelines during games out of respect for acting coach Joseph Jones. Gillispie, 64, has been involved with the program behind the scenes in an advisory role, which he'll remain in for the rest of the season. Jones, who played for Gillispie at Texas A&M and has been part of his staff since 2020, has guided Tarleton State to a 22-7 overall record and 15-3 mark in conference play. The Texans are on a 10-game winning streak that includes an upset of Grand Canyon, and project as the No. 2 seed in the WAC tournament. This is Tarleton State's final season of transitioning to Division I and the school is not eligible for the NCAA tournament. The success of the team Gillispie put together and his clean bill of health from doctors led to the two-year extension. Jones, who helped build the program with Gillispie, would be the favorite to succeed him whenever he does finish at Tarleton. Gillispie previously coached at UTEP, Texas A&M, Kentucky and Texas Tech, and has coached in four NCAA tournaments at three different schools. He has dealt with health issues at different stages of his career and required a kidney transplant after being diagnosed with kidney failure in 2017. Next season will be Gillispie's fifth at Tarleton State, his longest stretch as a head coach at any of his Division I head-coaching jobs.
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