Collin Gillespie

Collin Gillespie (born June 25, 1999) is an American college basketball player for the Villanova Wildcats of the Big East Conference.

Collin Gillespie
No. 2 – Villanova Wildcats
PositionPoint guard
LeagueBig East Conference
Personal information
Born (1999-06-25) June 25, 1999
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High schoolArchbishop Wood Catholic
(Warminster, Pennsylvania)
CollegeVillanova (2017–present)
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Representing the  United States
Pan American Games
2019 Lima National team

Early life and high school career

Gillespie is the son of a police officer. He attended Archbishop Wood High School, where he was coached by John Mosco. Gillespie had no Division I scholarship offers coming into his senior year, but received offers from Rider, Hofstra and Villanova after strong play in a tournament.[1] He scored 42 points in a regular-season win over Neumann Goretti featuring Kentucky recruit Quade Green.[2] As a senior, he led the team to a PIAA Class 5A state title.[3] Gillespie averaged 24.1 points per game as a senior and was named Philadelphia Player of the Year by the Philadelphia Daily News as well as Catholic League Most Valuable Player. He signed a letter of intent with Villanova on April 14, 2017, joining Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree and Jermaine Samuels in the class of 2021.[4]

College career
Eric Paschall, Donte DiVincenzo, Omari Spellman, Collin Gillespie, and Jalen Brunson.

Gillespie wanted to redshirt his freshman year at Villanova but coach Jay Wright decided against doing it because Gillespie "was playing above his years."[3] He was able to break into the rotation, scoring in double figures in his second game, but had to adjust to the quickness of the college game. Gillespie had to miss more than a month in December and January due to a fractured bone in his left hand sustained in a December 8 practice. However, he returned to action in a January 17 road win over Georgetown.[3] He provided quality minutes and had eight points including two three-pointers in a February 1 win over Creighton due to the absence of Phil Booth with a similar hand injury.[1] Gillespie made his first start on February 10, in an 86–75 win over Butler. In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Gillespie scored nine points and had a steal in a win versus Radford. He had four points and five rebounds in the 79–62 NCAA championship game win over Michigan. He averaged 4.3 points per game in 14.4 minutes per game.[5] Gillespie posted a 2.6-to-1 assist to turnover ratio, which Wright attributed to him thinking about his teammates and trying to make them better.[3]

Gillespie scored a career-high 30 points in a 77–65 win against Georgetown on February 3, 2019.[6] On March 9, he had 22 points in a 79–75 loss to Seton Hall.[7] As a sophomore, Gillespie averaged 10.9 points per game.[8]

Coming into his junior season, Gillespie broke his nose in practice, forcing him to wear a mask for several games.[9] Gillespie had 27 points and six assists in an 87–78 loss to Baylor in the championship game of the Myrtle Beach Classic. He was named to the All-Tournament Team and Big East player of the week on November 25.[10] On January 28, 2020, Gillespie had his first double-double with 17 points and a career-high 13 rebounds in a 79–59 win over St. John's.[11] Gillespie scored a season-high 29 points on February 16, in a 76–56 win over Temple.[12] At the conclusion of the regular season, Gillespie was selected to the Second Team All-Big East.[13] He averaged 15.1 points, 4.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game on a team that finished 24–7.[14]

Coming into his senior season, Gillespie was named to the Bob Cousy Award watchlist as well as Preseason First Team All-Big East.[15][16]

National team career

In the summer of 2019, Gillespie was a part of the United States National team who competed at the Pan American Games in Peru. The team won bronze, defeating Dominican Republic behind 25 points from Gillespie.[17]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Villanova 32114.4.452.394.8001.31.1.6.14.3
2018–19 Villanova 353529.4.409.379.8392.42.81.1.110.9
2019–20 Villanova 313134.1.406.357.8173.74.51.2.115.1
Career 986726.0.412.372.8232.42.71.0.110.1

References
  1. Jensen, Mike (February 2, 2018). "Villanova freshman Collin Gillespie proving he belongs". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  2. Moore, Tom (March 28, 2018). "Moore: Archbishop Wood grad Collin Gillespie can join select group with 2 Villanova wins". The Intelligencer. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  3. Moore, Tom (March 6, 2018). "Freshman Collin Gillespie has given Villanova an unanticipated spark this season". The Morning Call. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  4. Murphy, Mike (April 14, 2017). "Archbishop Wood basketball star Collin Gillespie signs with Villanova". NBC Sports. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  5. "2 Collin Gillespie". Villanova Wildcats. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  6. "Gillespie's career game carries No. 14 Villanova past Hoyas". ESPN. Associated Press. February 3, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  7. "Seton Hall scores second big upset, stuns No. 23 Villanova". ESPN. Associated Press. March 9, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  8. "Breakdown: Purdue vs. Villanova". The Journal Gazette. March 23, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  9. Juliano, Joe (October 24, 2019). "Injuries are affecting Collin Gillespie's prep for start of Villanova's basketball season". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  10. "Villanova's Gillespie, DePaul's Weems Take #BIGEASTmbb Weekly Honors". Big East Conference. November 25, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  11. "No. 8 Villanova, minus Samuels, trounces St. John's 79–59". ESPN. Associated Press. January 28, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  12. "Gillespie leads No. 15 Villanova past Temple". ESPN. Associated Press. February 16, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  13. Juliano, Joe (March 8, 2020). "Saddiq Bey leads a group of four Villanova players receiving Big East postseason honors". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  14. Moore, Tom (March 12, 2020). "Collin Gillespie fuels the Villanova offense". Bucks County Courier Times. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  15. "Gillespie Tabbed to Cousy Award Watch List". Villanova Wildcats. November 2, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  16. Hunt, Donald (October 29, 2020). "Villanova basketball team picked to win the Big East". The Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  17. "U.S. Men Rally To Win Bronze Medal at Pan American Games". USA Basketball. August 4, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
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