Whether it came through basketball or football, Maryland point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie was always primed to make an impact in college.
Greeneville High School boys’ basketball coach Brad Woolsey saw Gillespie’s work ethic firsthand and knew his pupil would be successful no matter what sport he chose.
“When you’re blessed with athletic ability and you’re a hard worker, you’re going to be successful regardless of where you go or what you do,” Woolsey said. “I think he would’ve been successful on the gridiron just like he is in basketball.”
“He worked hard,” Woolsey added. “During football and basketball season, he would go to the gym. Not during practice or team time, but he would go to our local YMCA to work on his shooting and work on his game. He loved his craft and worked on his craft and because of that it separated him from a lot of people in our area.”
The work has paid off on the hardwood. After two productive seasons at Belmont University (Nashville, Tenn.), Gillespie transferred to Maryland earlier this year as part of an offseason roster overhaul in College Park. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound junior guard is averaging 13.8 points, 3.5 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game as part of a 9-2 start.
A native of Greeneville, Tenn., Gillespie always seemed likely to play basketball in college, but his play as a high school receiver gained the attention of programs such as Virginia Tech and Vanderbilt.
Gillespie mentioned if one particular program offered him a football scholarship, perhaps he would have considered trading in his basketball shoes for cleats.
“If the University of Tennessee would’ve offered me I probably would have flipped,” Gillespie said. “But I mainly knew I was playing basketball. I always loved basketball more, but I liked playing football as a receiver. A lot of the schools that were reaching out to me wanted me to play [defensive back], and I didn’t want to play defense in college.”
Woolsey knew Gillespie was destined to play basketball but also saw how enticing the football offers were.
“I think when you start getting bigger offers coming your way like he did his senior year then there’s something where he would stop and pause and think about it,” Woolsey said.
Though he was a two-sport athlete in high school, Gillespie’s play never fell off on the hardwood. Gillespie helped lead Greeneville to an 88-18 mark and two state championships during his career, earning numerous awards along the way, including 2022 Tennessee 3A Mr. Basketball honors.
Gillespie was the first player from Northeast Tennessee named Mr. Basketball, but that did not put any added pressure on his shoulders going into college.
“I didn’t worry about that too much going into Belmont,” Gillespie said. “I just wanted to prove myself and show that I can play, so I wasn’t worried about the ‘Mr. Basketball.'”
Gillespie proved himself as a freshman at Belmont in 2022-23, averaging 9.6 points and 3.3 assists under head coach Casey Alexander. He was named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman Team and All-Bench Team.
Gillespie became a go-to option for the Bruins as a sophomore a season ago, averaging 17.2 points, 4.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 steals in 25 games during his final season at Belmont. He earned second-team All-MVC honors in addition to spots on the All-Defensive Team and Most Improved Team.
Gillespie entered the transfer portal in March and attracted a lot of interest from programs such as Kansas and Indiana before ultimately signing with Maryland. He was one of five transfers brought in by head coach Kevin Willard.
“Last year at Belmont, I just felt it was time for a change,” Gillespie said. “A lot of my teammates were leaving, so I just decided to leave. Coming out of the portal, Maryland was one of the first to call me so I visited here first.”
With Gillespie’s help, Belmont went 41-24 the past two years as one of the top offensive teams in the MVC.
“We ran a lot more plays,” Gillespie said in comparing his time at Belmont to Maryland. “We had to know a lot more. We scored a lot at Belmont. We always had a good scoring team, but we didn’t play as much defense whereas here you’ve got to play defense.”
Gillespie said Willard “emphasizes defense way more than Coach Casey,” but “being more of a leader and more of a point guard” has been the biggest adjustment.
Willard believes Gillespie can be one of the best guards in the Big Ten.
“I challenged Ja’Kobi,” Willard said after Maryland’s win against Ohio State on Dec. 4. “I think Ja’Kobi could be one of the best guards in this conference, but you have to go out and prove it every day in this conference.”
Photo Credits: Kenya Allen/PressBox and Courtesy of Brad Woolsey