LEXINGTON, KY. ? Kentucky basketball coach Billy Gillispie has been on the job almost a week, and the professed workaholic has not exactly been touring the horse farms of his new town.

“The office has been fantastic,” said Gillispie, speaking at his first news conference since being introduced last Friday as the successor to Tubby Smith.

Gillispie said he had been busy with recruiting calls, planning summer camps and getting to know his players. Although he looks forward to exploring Lexington, that hasn’t happened yet.

“It’s been fast and furious,” Gillispie said. “That’s the way I like it. I’m excited about it. I don’t really want to catch my breath. If I were a track coach, I would say, ‘Start off as fast as you can and then gradually increase your speed.”‘

One of the first orders of business is hiring assistants. He pledged that his would be “the absolute best staff in the country.”

In just a few meetings with the returning players, Gillispie says the personnel is even better than he expected.

“We’ve had three real short workouts,” he said. “They’ve been fantastic. I’ve really been excited about some things I’ve seen that I didn’t know were present.”

Although NCAA rules restrict a coach’s travels for recruiting purposes during April, Gillispie said he has been working the phones. He reiterated it would be inappropriate to contact any of the players he recruited at Texas A&M, including the Aggies’ top recruit, center DeAndre Jordan.

Gillispie said he believes in being upfront with recruits. If there is playing time available, he’ll offer it, he says. If not, he’ll tell them that, too.

“I’m going to tell guys the absolute truth,” Gillispie said.

Known for carrying a large roster at Texas A&M, Gillispie plans to take advantage of the entire team – even the walk-ons, who often can provide a major impact during practice. Most important, he said, is developing a program with the reputation for being fun.

“Basketball’s a game,” Gillispie said. “You started playing it because it is fun, and you continue playing it because you had a good time playing it yesterday.”