Gillespie has thrived in Big Ten play as of late.
No. 16 Maryland men’s basketball has been one of the hottest teams in the country over the last month. The Terps have won eight of their last nine games, climbing from an unranked team into the top-20 in this week’s Associated Press poll.
During this span, Derik Queen has been heralded as perhaps the best freshman in the Big Ten — winning five Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors this season — and a future lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, while Julian Reese took home an Associated Press men’s basketball player of the week award.
Although he has not received the same recognition as Queen and Reese, Ja’Kobi Gillespie may be Maryland’s most important player. After posting a season-low one point in a loss at Washington on Jan. 2, the junior guard has scored less than 14 points just once. Since then, Gillespie leads the team with 17.2 points, 5.3 assists and 2.1 steals per game, all while shooting 46.8% from the field and 43.2% from three on nearly seven attempts per game.
Gillespie is having a solid season as a whole — averaging 14.9 points and 4.8 assists per game — but he has improved in nearly every aspect of the game statistically since early January and is making a case for an all-conference nod.
“Ja’Kobi is one of the best guards in this league,” head coach Kevin Willard said after Maryland’s win over Iowa a week ago. “I think ever since the Washington game, for the most part, he’s starting to really figure out when to push it, when not to.”
Gillespie is not only the Terps’ most consistent player, but he has also been extremely timely, often breaking scoring droughts and coming through when they need him most. To start the nine-game stretch, Gillespie scooped in the go-ahead layup with less than a minute left to secure a crucial home win over Nebraska. And after Maryland trailed Iowa by four points at halftime, Gillespie scored seven consecutive points to push the Terps’ lead to 15 points early in the second half, a hole the Hawkeyes never dug out of.
“He’s finally getting comfortable with Big Ten play”, Willard said after Maryland’s win over USC Thursday. “The size and length of guards that he’s seen, he didn’t see that at Belmont. … It just took him a little time to get used to what shots he can take, what shots he can do. I think he’s comfortable in the offense now. Again, it still was a new offense for him for almost half the year.”
Gillespie transferred to Maryland from Belmont in the offseason, stepping into the massive hole left by Associated Press All-Big Ten first-team member Jahmir Young in the backcourt. While Gillespie may not have completely filled Young’s shoes, he has not needed to. All five of Maryland’s starters average at least 11 points per game, while its bench supplies a complementary blend of athleticism and defense.
Gillespie also provides more shooting and defense than Young, which may be a more compatible skillset in March.
With crucial games against No. 8 Michigan State and No. 15 Michigan still on the schedule and the postseason quickly approaching, Gillespie could be the driving force behind a special season in College Park.