Former UK head coach Billy Gillispie had a rebirth of sorts at Ranger College last season. Gillispie led Ranger to a dramatic turnaround, winning 31 games and finishing in the top four of the JUCO national tournament.
Now, Gillispie’s season has been taken away as his team has been forced to forfeit all 31 wins due to playing an ineligible player.
Here are details from the Dallas News:
Ranger previously lost an appeal through the NJCAA executive committee. Arbitrator Nancy A. Hopf’s ruling means Ranger has exhausted its appeal options.
“As a result of the arbitration hearing, the original sanctions the NJCAA placed against Ranger stand,” NJCAA executive director Mark Krug stated in an email. “Their men’s basketball team will be on probation for the 2016-17 seasons, which results in no postseason play. They also must forfeit all games originally identified by the NJCAA and their fourth-place finish at the 2016 NJCAA DI Men’s Basketball Championship will be vacated.”
In a subsequent email, Krug confirmed that the forfeited games include all 31 victories last season.
As for Gillispie, Campion said the coach took the news hard, having “poured his heart” into Ranger since he was hired as basketball coach and athletic director in April 2015.
