University of Tennessee head men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes announced Monday the signing of Ja’Kobi Gillespie.
A guard who hails from nearby Greeneville, Tenn., Gillespie comes to Tennessee from Maryland, where he was a Third Team All-Big Ten selection in 2023-24. The second-ranked player in the transfer portal according to EvanMiya.com, Gillespie has one season of collegiate eligibility remaining.
“We are thrilled to welcome Ja’Kobi to Rocky Top, a place he and his wonderful family know well as East Tennessee natives who bleed orange. Ja’Kobi is a high-character young man who fits our program and truly wants to be a Volunteer,” Barnes said. “A dynamic point who can really shoot the ball from deep and get his teammates involved, Ja’Kobi is a fearless competitor with a high basketball IQ. We expect him to help lead our team from day one and we feel quite fortunate to have him as a part of our program.”
Before playing at Maryland in 2024-25, Gillespie was at in-state Belmont for two seasons. Across his three-year college career, he owns averages of 13.6 points, 4.2 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. He possesses an excellent shooting line of 48.7 percent from the floor, 37.9 percent on 3-pointers and 81.0 percent at the stripe.
Gillespie owns 70 double-figure scoring performances, reaching 15 on 43 occasions and 20 in 14 contests. He has started 68 games in his career, including doing so in 60 of his 61 outings over the last two seasons.
Most recently, Gillespie spent last season at Maryland, where he posted 14.7 points, 4.8 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. He helped the Terrapins go 27-9 (14-6 B1G) and reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016.
The 6-foot-1, 186-pounder finished co-third in the Big Ten in steals average and fifth in assists average. He shot 45.3 percent from the field on the season, including a blistering 40.7 percent beyond the arc, as well as 86.2 percent at the line.
Gillespie recorded double-digit points in 30 of Maryland’s 36 games. Twenty of his 22 showings with 14-plus points came against Power Five competition, including all 12 of his performances with at least 17 points and all six with 20-plus. His season high of 27 came Jan. 10 in a victory over UCLA.
Additionally, Gillespie had at least five assists in 17 appearances, with nine-plus in five, including a season-best 11 to go along with 17 points versus Syracuse in a Dec. 21, 2024, win over Syracuse in Brooklyn, N.Y. He made multiple 3-pointers in 27 contests, reaching four-plus on eight occasions, as well as multiple steals 24 times, with four in four contests.
In 2023-24 at Belmont, Gillespie was named a Second Team-All MVC selection, as well as a member of the MVC All-Defensive Team and MVC Most-Improved Team. He averaged 17.2 points, 4.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds and a league-best 2.2 steals per game. He also led the MVC with a 56.1 field-goal percentage and a 63.1 effective field-goal percentage, plus shot 38.7 percent from deep and 83.1 percent on free throws.
Gillespie, who placed fifth in the league in both points and assists per game, scored in double figures in 24 the 25 games played in, reaching 15-plus in 18 and 20-plus in seven. He had multiple steals 17 times, with a high of seven in a Nov. 14, 2023, victory over Berry.
The Volunteer State native’s play helped lead the Bruins to a 20-13 (12-8 MVC) record. The prior year, as a freshman, he aided the team to a 21-11 (14-6) campaign.
That year, Gillespie earned MVC All-Freshman Team and MVC All-Bench team plaudits. He averaged 9.6 points, 3.3 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game and amassed 16 double-digit scoring performances.
A prep star at Greeneville High School, Gillespie collected 2022 Tennessee 3A Mr. Basketball distinction. He became the first player from the northeast part of the state to win Mr. Basketball in its then-37-year history.
Gillespie totaled 2,129 points in high school, including logging 27.3 per game during a senior campaign in which he led his team to the 3A state title. He garnered state tournament MVP plaudits, as well as Tennessee Player of the Year accolades from 5StarPreps.com, Tri-Cities.com and WJHL-TV. The two-time TSWA All-State designee also helped Greeneville win the 2A state crown as a junior, as he put up 20.8 points per game.
Before Gillespie, the last Tennessee men’s basketball player from the city of Greeneville was Roe Campbell in 1923, over a century ago. Gillespie played AAU basketball for B. Maze Elite, a Knoxville-based program run by former Tennessee guard Bobby Maze (2008-10).
In addition to EvanMiya.com labeling Gillespie the second-best player in the transfer portal, 247Sports and On3 both slot him seventh.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
