By Doug Blackburn, DEMOCRAT ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
Florida A&M expects to have a five-person search committee formed by the end of this week as the university begins the process of hiring a new men's head basketball coach.
FAMU dismissed coach Mike Gillespie Sr. Tuesday. Gillespie, who led the Rattlers to the NCAA tournament last season, has been on paid administrative leave since May 30 - five days after he was charged with one misdemeanor count of stalking. In a letter to Gillespie, FAMU President James Ammons informed the six-year coach that he would remain on paid leave through Nov. 2.
Nelson Townsend, FAMU's athletic director, said Thursday that he had received approximately 30 resumes within the past day from basketball coaches interested in the vacant position. Townsend will be one of the five people on the search committee, but the other members have not been identified, he said.
"We will advertise and go through the whole process," he said. "We hope to do this as quickly as possible.
"Our concern is our student-athletes. We've been a while now without a head coach's leadership and we think it's important we move on this as quickly as we can."
Assistant coach Mike Gillespie Jr., the head coach's son, has said he would like to continue the job his father started.
"We have no serious candidates at this time. We haven't even started a search," Townsend said. "He (Gillespie Jr.) could very well be a candidate."
Townsend said he doesn't expect Gillespie's firing to affect the commitments from any of FAMU'S basketball recruits. The basketball schedule for the 2007-08 season has been finalized, he added.
Florida A&M expects to have a five-person search committee formed by the end of this week as the university begins the process of hiring a new men's head basketball coach.
FAMU dismissed coach Mike Gillespie Sr. Tuesday. Gillespie, who led the Rattlers to the NCAA tournament last season, has been on paid administrative leave since May 30 - five days after he was charged with one misdemeanor count of stalking. In a letter to Gillespie, FAMU President James Ammons informed the six-year coach that he would remain on paid leave through Nov. 2.
Nelson Townsend, FAMU's athletic director, said Thursday that he had received approximately 30 resumes within the past day from basketball coaches interested in the vacant position. Townsend will be one of the five people on the search committee, but the other members have not been identified, he said.
"We will advertise and go through the whole process," he said. "We hope to do this as quickly as possible.
"Our concern is our student-athletes. We've been a while now without a head coach's leadership and we think it's important we move on this as quickly as we can."
Assistant coach Mike Gillespie Jr., the head coach's son, has said he would like to continue the job his father started.
"We have no serious candidates at this time. We haven't even started a search," Townsend said. "He (Gillespie Jr.) could very well be a candidate."
Townsend said he doesn't expect Gillespie's firing to affect the commitments from any of FAMU'S basketball recruits. The basketball schedule for the 2007-08 season has been finalized, he added.
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