Tarleton State hires Utah State associate head coach Eric Haut to replace Billy Gillispie

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STEPHENVILLE, Texas (AP) — Tarleton State has named Utah State associate coach Eric Haut to replace Billy Gillispie, who resigned last month because of medical issues.

Haut, whose hiring was announced Thursday, was on Utah State's staff for two seasons after five as an assistant at Northern Kentucky.

Utah State won the Mountain West regular-season championship and is bidding for a fourth straight NCAA Tournament bid and second in a row under Jerrod Calhoun and Haut, who also has made coaching stops at Kent State and TCU.

Tarleton State was 15-18 and tied for last in the Western Athletic Conference with Glenn Cyprien serving as acting head coach after Gillispie stepped away Jan. 30.

The 66-year-old Gillispie told The Dallas Morning News he was dealing with heart and blood-pressure issues that have plagued him for years. The former Kentucky coach had a kidney transplant in 2018, but told the newspaper his kidney was fine.

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