Gillispie fired by Kentucky

Coach went 40-27, missed NCAA bid

Impatient for a winner, Kentucky fired Billy Gillispie as coach yesterday after just two years, too many losses, and too little appreciation for all the things that come with running college basketball's all-time-winningest program.

Saying the Wildcats deserve a leader who understands "this is not just another coaching job," athletic director Mitch Barnhart and president Lee Todd made the decision to dismiss Gillispie less than two years after he was hired to replace Tubby Smith.

"He's a good basketball coach," Barnhart said. "Sometimes it's just not the right fit and that's my responsibility."

Gillispie went 40-27 in two seasons with the Wildcats, including a 22-14 mark this year that tied for the second-most losses in the program's 106-year history. A stumble down the stretch left the Wildcats out of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1991.

Florida coach Billy Donovan says he isn't going anywhere. Donovan made it clear he has no interest in the Kentucky job or any other opening, reaffirming his desire to stay in Gainesville and get the Gators back to the NCAA Tournament.

"In response to the rumors circulating about my interest in other jobs, I wanted to address this as quickly as possible," Donovan said in a statement. "I am committed to the University of Florida and look forward to continuing to build our program here."

Talks are underway to keep Missouri basketball coach Mike Anderson right where he is. Athletics spokesman Chad Moller told the Associated Press there have been "informal talks about what can be done, and what needs to be done" to retain Anderson.

The third-year coach has led Missouri to one of the best seasons in school history, racking up a record 31 wins and a Big 12 conference tournament championship. The Tigers face Connecticut today in the West Regional final.

Citing unnamed sources, The Kansas City Star reported that Missouri is ready to raise Anderson's $850,000 annual salary to at least $1.3 million and renew his contract for five years.

Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun has acknowledged that he or his staff may have made mistakes in recruiting basketball player Nate Miles. Calhoun said it's sometimes hard to determine what is or is not permissible under the NCAA's recruiting guidelines.

"Do I know if any has been made? No, I'm not making judgment one way or the other," Calhoun said as the top-seeded Huskies prepared for the West Regional final against Missouri in Glendale, Ariz. "Could I have made a mistake? Sure. The [rules] manual is 508 pages. Someone could've made a mistake."

Yahoo! Sports reported Wednesday that Miles, a 6-foot-7-inch guard from Toledo, Ohio, was given lodging, transportation, meals, and representation by sports agent Josh Nochimson, and that a UConn assistant coach knew about the relationship. The story cited interviews, documents obtained under Freedom of Information laws, and other sources.

Anthony Grant has been hired as Alabama's coach after three successful years with Virginia Commonwealth. The 42-year-old Grant, a former Florida assistant, led VCU to two NCAA Tournament berths in three seasons.