Billy Gillispie, total a**hat? We report, you decide

Watching the Florida-Kentucky b-ball game this eve (after Villanova kicked Marquette to the curb, yeah!). ESPN has this thing the sideline reporters do all the time now, which is stop one coach for a quickie interview on the way into the locker room and the other on the way back out to start the second half.

They always ask 2 questions and the coaches know in advance that this is coming. It isn't something that the sideline reporter just dreamed up with on a spur-of-the-moment basis. Thus, it is somewhat hard to explain the following behavior by UK coach Billy Gillispie, other than to characterize it as the actions of a total a**hat.

The halftime buzzer sounds (score is tied, so it is not apparent that Gillispie would have been in an unusually foul mood owing to the game situation) and the teams flood off the floor. The camera cuts to the sideline reporter who starts in with her first question. She leads into the question by providing a little framing context to the game, with Gillispie looking straight at her the whole time.

She finally finishes up with the question and turns the microphone to Gillespie: "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear your question."

Yeah, right. So, I just stood here for 25-30 seconds watching your mouth move but giving no physical or verbal indication that I couldn't hear you, so that when you were done, I could make you repeat yourself in full.

Reporter leans into Gillispie and offers the first question again. He gives typical coach-speak non-answer answer.

Reporter follows up with question number 2: "One of your priorities was disrupting the vision of Nick Calethes (Florida point guard). How do you think you've done in that regard so far?"

Gillespie: "Well, you seem to know a lot more about this that I do. Some of these things I've never heard of before. Blah. Blah. Blah...."

Yeah, preventing a clear line of sight for the other team's primary ball handler is practically an unknown concept in the field of basketball. Stupid sideline reporter, must have thought she was watching a soccer game. Can't understand why they let women cover sports in the first place.

Look, I'm sure every coach hates this crap. But, answering banal press questions comes with the gig and there is no reason to show up the lowly sideline reporter who is simply trying to do her job.

You make millions of dollars a year and coach one of the premier teams in college basketball, Mr. Gillispie, so answering her questions is part of your J-O-B. Try showing a little respect next time instead of being a total a**hat.

(Note: The last time I saw Kentucky play a few weeks back, he did the exact same thing, which is show up the sideline reporter unnecessarily. I guess the only thing worse than consistent a**hattery would be the unpredictable variant.)