Billy Gillispie thought he was having a stroke or heart attack when he called 911 Friday morning, the Texas Tech basketball coach told the Avalanche-Journal of Lubbock.
"It was the worst I've ever felt," said Gillispie, who was hospitalized and told his blood pressure was at a dangerous level. He called 911 at about 5 a.m. Friday after experiencing severe pain, he told the Lubbock newspaper.
Gillispie, 52, told the Avalanche-Journal in a telephone interview that he had been dealing with stress but has never had any other health scares.
University Medical Center spokesman Eric Finley told The Associated Press that Gillispie would stay at the hospital Saturday night and is still in satisfactory condition.
Gillispie told the Avalanche-Journal he was unaware of the reports that Texas Tech players met with Athletic Director Kirby Hocutt to express concerns about how they were being treated by Gillispie.
"There will be an appropriate time to talk about that," Gillispie told the Lubbock paper. "Right now I'm trying to get better."
Gillispie was head coach at the University of Kentucky in 2007-08 and 2008-09.
