Honoring Collin Gillespie

Collin Gillespie celebrates Villanova’s 2018 Elite Eight win against Texas Tech at the TD Garden which advanced the team to the 2018 NCAA Final Four in San Antonio, where they would win the 2018 National Championship. (Maggie Mengel/AKSM Photography).

After receiving an MRI the day after the game, it has been reported that Gillespie will miss the rest of this season with an MCL injury.

Article by Dave Nguyen, AKSM Sports

VILLANOVA, PA - On Senior Night the 10th ranked Villanova Wildcats defeated the 14th ranked Creighton Blue Jays 72-60 for its seventh Big East Regular Season title in the last eight seasons. The Wildcats built a 19 point first half lead, but it dwindled down to as little at five at one point in the second half. That was large in part due to an unfortunate knee injury to senior guard Collin Gillespie. Sophomore guard Justin Moore led the Wildcats in the second half, finishing with 24 points, to give Villanova the victory. While it was a night to celebrate the accomplishment of the entire team, the win was overshadowed by Gillespie's injury. After receiving an MRI the day after the game, it has been reported that Gillespie will miss the rest of this season with an MCL injury.

"We are all devastated for Collin," said Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "He is the heart and soul of our program. We know we can't replace him. We all just want to step up and play so that we honor him."

The average Villanova fan does not need to dive deep into statistical analysis to realize the impact of what Collin Gillespie brings to the hardwood night in and night out on the Main Line. He was the captain and leader of the team, both on and off the court.

"There's probably not been one player who has had the impact on one team here that Collin has had for us," stated Wright after the Creighton victory. "He's our spiritual leader, work ethic leader, character-wise he's our leader. He's tough to replace."

This season alone, Gillespie was averaging 14 points and 4.6 assists per game this season and was named one of five finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation's best point guard, and one of 15 finalists for the Wooden Award.

According to ESPN's Jeff Borzello, Gillespie is eligible to return next season if he chooses to do so, as the NCAA has given every winter sport athlete an extra year of eligibility.

But if Gillespie decides to end his Wildcat career, it was surely a remarkable four years for the Philadelphia native. Ever since Jay Wright became the head coach at Villanova, one of his best traits is finding program building point guards. Some names that come to mind are: Randy Foye, Kyle Lowry, Scottie Reynolds, Ryan Arcidiacano, and Jalen Brunson. It was fitting that when Gillespie stepped on the court in his freshman season, Wright recruited him to learn from Brunson, who won the Naismith Award in 2017-18, and apply those lessons and experiences, while rooming with each other on the road, in order to be the floor general for the remainder of his Wildcat career. While Gillespie did not score a lot during his freshman year, he earned a spot in Wright's guard rotation off the bench, averaging 14.4 minutes and 4.3 points per game, earning key minutes to help the Wildcats earn its second national championship in three seasons.

After Brunson left school that offseason for the NBA, Gillespie was more than ready to take on the role of starting point guard for the Wildcats. He blossomed in his sophomore season, finishing third on the team in scoring with 10.9 points per game and connected 37.9% of his shots from three. That season was highlighted by a 22-point effort against Seton Hall on March 9th, en route to another Big East Regular Season and Tournament Championship year. He followed his sophomore campaign with a stellar junior year, despite the post-season coming to a halt due to COVID-19. In 2019-20, Gillespie improved his point production to 15.1 points per contest along with 4.5 dimes, making crucial plays in Villanova's one-point win over #1 Kansas at the Wells Fargo Center, achieving a 29 point effort against Temple and 28 against Butler, his first career double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds against Saint John's, en-route to a third-straight Big East Regular Season title.

Whether Gillespie returns for another season or decides to play professionally, Wright has notified both media members and NBA personnel that his point guard will make a decision about his future on his own terms, giving the senior as much time as he needs.

For a young man who didn't receive any Division I offers entering his senior year at Archbishop Wood High School, it is without question that Collin Gillespie has made an impeccable mark as a Villanova Wildcat.