Latest news with #Ja'Kobi
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
What Rick Barnes said about Ja'Kobi Gillespie signing with Tennessee basketball
Rick Barnes said Ja'Kobi Gillespie "truly wants to be a Volunteer." Now, Gillespie officially is. Tennessee basketball announced Gillespie has signed Monday a week after entering the transfer portal to leave Maryland. Advertisement "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," the Vols coach said in a school release. "Ja'Kobi is a high-character young man who fits our program and truly wants to be a Volunteer. A dynamic point guard 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.' Gillespie averaged 14.7 points and 4.8 assists for the Terrapins, who earned third-team All-Big Ten honors. The Greeneville, Tennessee, native shot 40.7% on 3-pointers, making 87 to help Maryland reach the Sweet 16. The 6-foot-1 Gillespie played his first two seasons at Belmont before transferring to Maryland. He averaged 12.9 points and 3.7 assists in two seasons at Belmont. He had a big sophomore season, averaging 17.2 points and 4.2 assists. Gillespie was the first player to commit to Tennessee as a transfer when he did so Friday. Vanderbilt forward Jaylen Carey committed Sunday as the second. The 6-8, 265-pound Carey averaged 8.0 points and 5.7 rebounds at Vanderbilt. Advertisement TRACKER: Tennessee basketball transfer portal tracker: Who's in, who's out for Rick Barnes' roster Tennessee had to fill its point guard spot after Zeigler graduated following a historic four-year career. Gillespie will step into the starting spot immediately and allow recent commitment Troy Henderson to develop. Henderson committed to Tennessee on March 25 shortly after decommitting from Fordham amid a coaching change. The Vols heavily recruited Gillespie to be the next point guard in Knoxville. He entered the portal on March 31 and immediately became a focal point of Tennessee's portal class. Barnes visited with Gillespie's father, Byron, on Tuesday. Barnes and members of the Tennessee staff visited Gillespie in Maryland on Wednesday. He committed two days later. Advertisement Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @ If you enjoy Mike's coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it. This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Ja'Kobi Gillespie: Tennessee basketball, Rick Barnes sign transfer
USA Today
07-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Rick Barnes details how Vols are 'quite fortunate' to have Ja'Kobi Gillespie
Rick Barnes details how Vols are 'quite fortunate' to have Ja'Kobi Gillespie Maryland transfer guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie committed to Tennessee following the end of the 2025 basketball season. The 6-foot-1, 186-pound Gillespie also played at Belmont from 2022-25. He played one season at Maryland. Gillespie has appeared in 93 games, including 68 starts, during his collegiate career, averaging 13.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.9 steals per contest. "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," Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said. "Ja'Kobi is a high-character young man who fits our program and truly wants to be a Volunteer. A dynamic point guard 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." Gillespie is from Greeneville High School in Greeneville, Tennessee. He earned 2022 Tennessee 3A Mr. Basketball honors.
