The All-Big Ten third-teamer leaves a void at the guard position.
Maryland men’s basketball star guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie became the fourth Terp to enter the transfer portal Monday, following Rodney Rice, Tafara Gapare and Jay Young. The news was first reported by Travis Branham of 247Sports.
A member of the All-Big Ten third team, Gillespie made an immediate impact upon his arrival in College Park. The 6-foot-1 point guard spent his first two seasons at Belmont, where he earned Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman honors before averaging 17.2 points and 4.2 assists as a sophomore.
At the time of his commitment to Maryland last year, Gillespie was ranked as the No. 14 overall transfer and the fourth-best guard in the portal, according to 247Sports.
His influence was felt right away. He led the Terps in assists per game (4.8) and ranked second only to Derik Queen in scoring (14.7 points per game). His smooth transition from a mid-major conference to the Big Ten was reminiscent of former Terp Jahmir Young, who thrived at Maryland after three seasons at Charlotte.
Gillespie played a key role in Maryland’s often 3-point-heavy offensive approach. He wasn’t shy about letting it fly from deep, knocking down 87 threes at a 40.7% clip.
He was remarkably consistent, scoring in single digits just six times all season. His top performances included a season-high 27 points against then-No. 22 UCLA and an 11-assist outing against Syracuse.
However, Gillespie struggled at times down the stretch, including a 10-point, 4-of-11 shooting performance against Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals and an 11-point, 4-of-12 outing against Colorado State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Still, Gillespie was a star for the Terps. He shot 86.2% from the free-throw line — ranking 15th in the Big Ten — and tied for third in the conference with 1.9 steals per game, just a year after earning MVC All-Defense honors. His box plus/minus of 10.7 was the fifth-best in the Big Ten.
Gillespie has been linked to Tennessee — his native state — Kentucky and Villanova, where former head coach Kevin Willard left for.
With both Gillespie and Rice possibly departing — along with Selton Miguel, Julian Reese and Queen — the Terps may field an entirely new starting lineup next year.