Ja’Kobi Gillespie will transfer to Tennessee next season, the former Maryland point guard announced on his Instagram on Friday.
Gillespie was a key piece for the Terps this season, averaging 14.7 points and 4.8 assists per game. He opted to enter the transfer portal with one season of eligibility remaining shortly after coach Kevin Willard left Maryland for Villanova.
Gillespie spent the first two seasons of his career playing for Belmont before Willard convinced the shifty guard to come to College Park, and he’ll spend the final year of his career in his home state of Tennessee.
The Volunteers went 30-8 this season, making the Elite Eight under coach Rick Barnes. No. 1 seed Houston beat Tennessee in the Elite Eight, keeping the program from making the Final Four. Gillespie will likely play a significant role for the Volunteers next winter.
As for Maryland’s roster, the Terps are expected to lose a significant majority of their key contributors. Between losses to graduation (Julian Reese and Selton Miguel headline this group) and the transfer portal (Gillespie, Rodney Rice and DeShawn Harris-Smith are among the major losses), the Terps will be without many of their best players from this past season. Baltimore native and Big Ten Freshman of the Year Derik Queen is expected to enter the NBA draft, leaving the Terps to rebuild their roster this offseason under new coach Buzz Williams.
It’s possible that Maryland targets Texas A&M transfers to help fill holes on the roster, as Williams led those players this past season. Four Aggies — junior forwards Pharrel Payne, Solomon Washington as well as freshmen guards Andre Mills and George Turkson Jr. — have all reportedly entered the portal with “do not contact” tags, which often suggests a player already has a transfer destination in mind. Payne has produced the most in college among players in the quartet, as the high-flying forward averaged more than 10 points per game this season and exceeded 20 points in each of Texas A&M’s two NCAA Tournament games.
Regardless of Maryland’s additions, the loss of Gillespie is notable. He shot just over 40% from 3-point range, while also leading the team in assists (174) and steals (69). Maryland has big shoes to fill in its backcourt.
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