Billy Gillispie’s move from College Station to the Bluegrass State has generated a laundry list of stories.

Kentucky fans have read about his team’s preseason conditioning work, non-stop recruiting, his house purchase, his unsigned contract, his wearing a tie that wasn’t Wildcats blue, his team’s injuries, its stumbling start that included two stunning homecourt losses.

As March Madness approaches, Big Blue fans are agonizing over their team’s chances of making the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky is 16-10 overall and 10-3 in the Southeastern Conference. Wildcats fans like the term “bubble” as much as “Louisville Cardinals.”

There are two stories circulating – and they’re not coming from the school’s sports information office – that show Gillispie has not lost the human touch.

There’s a radio station in Stanford, Ky. (about 35 miles south of Lexington) that airs a daily “General Store” program. It’s a garage-sale-of-the-airwaves where people call in looking to buy and sell various items.

Gillispie likes to listen to it because it reminds him of Graford, Texas, his hometown.

Gillispie was listening when a woman called offering to sell her 1991 automobile for $600. She needed the money to attend her father’s funeral near Cleveland.

The host of the radio show received a call from “Billy,” who offered to help. The two talked off-air and the host, Renee Knies, realized she was speaking to Kentucky’s basketball coach.

Gillispie wanted to send enough money to cover the woman’s travel expenses and perhaps purchase an outfit for the funeral. He didn’t want her to sell her car.

Gillispie tried to keep the gift a secret, but word soon leaked out. The beneficiary of Gillispie’s kindness said, “I don’t need to know. I already know – he’s my angel.”

And if that doesn’t loosen up the tear ducts, consider this.

A few hours after Kentucky beat Arkansas on Saturday, Gillispie was in his office. A student asked Gillispie if he had time to greet about 500 Kentucky students. They had just finished a 24-hour marathon to raise $415,000 for the school’s Pediatric Oncology Clinic.

Someone was recording Gillispie’s appearance and the video is making the rounds.

The coach takes the stage, is handed a microphone, and hems and haws. There was laughter, but Gillispie wasn’t being shy. He was struggling to find words.

“I’m going to have a hard time getting through this deal,” he said. “They just asked me to come over, and I’m kicking myself in the rear end for not knowing what was going on the last 24 hours. :

“What you’re doing, what you’ve done the last 24 hours, that’s what makes life worth living, because you’re giving someone else a chance to have a better life than they might have.”

Gillispie then lauded the clinic’s children who were on stage. That would have been good enough, the Kentucky basketball coach showing up to dispense some verbal back slaps. But Gillispie wasn’t finished.

“If it’ll do any good : ” he said, then paused, shaking his head. “If it’ll help, I’d like to give a check for $10,000.”