Gillispie steps down as head coach at Ranger College

The Billy Gillispie Era came to an end at Ranger College on March 30 when he resigned to accept the head men's basketball duties at Tarleton State University. The RC alum will be stepping in to help Tarleton transition to the NCAA Division I ranks, beginning next season.

"After a lot of heartfelt thought and consideration, I made a decision to become the new basketball coach at Tarleton State University," Gillispie said in email to RC staff members. "My decision was based on Tarleton becoming one of the most progressive institutions in the United States after I learned more about them. That, coupled with them transitioning to Division I basketball, made me get excited about the offer that I received, and what the future might hold on the hardwood."

At Ranger, Gillispie transformed the Rangers into a national powerhouse. During his five seasons at the helm of the RC program, Ranger College posted a 134-31 mark on the court and qualified for the NJCAA national tournament three times. Last March, the Rangers advanced to the NJCAA National championship and played in front of a national television audience.

Gillispie, who was regarded as one of the top coaches in the country during stints at the University of Texas-El Paso, Texas A&M, Kentucky and Texas Tech, had an immediate impact at Ranger. Taking over a team that had won just two games the previous year, he pieced together a stunning 31-win season in his first season. Ranger climbed to high as No. 11 in the national rankings and advanced to the NJCAA national tournament for only the second time in its history.

Unfortunately for the Rangers, an infraction forced RC to forfeit all of its wins, as well as its fourth-place finish in the NJCAA tournament.

After a pair of 22-win seasons in 2017 and 2018, Gillispie got Ranger back on track. Last year, the team went 31-4 and advanced to play Vincennes University for the national championship.

Ranger looked primed to make another run at the title this season. Ranked No. 1 in the country for much of the season, the Rangers qualified for the NJCAA tournament with a 28-3 record. Ranger College's bid for a repeat appearance in the national finals ended when NJCAA officials canceled the tournament due to health concerns stemming for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gillispie said the decision to leave his alma mater was tough.

"I leave an institution that I sincerely love," he said. "I hope we have represented the school in a way that has been honorable. I've definitely made a great effort to do so. Tarleton is right down the road so, please, be my guest at our games and activities when the Rangers are not playing."

At Tarleton, Gillispie will be taking over a Texans program that went 18-12 overall, including a 13-9 mark in Lone Star Conference play.