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Former Belmont guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie commits to Maryland

Screen Shot 2024-05-28 at 9.09.17 AMby:Kaiden Smith•03/27/24•

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Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean - USA TODAY NETWORK

After entering the NCAA transfer portal, former Belmont guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie has officially committed to Maryland.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound guard spent the first two seasons of his career with the Bruins, but will now take his talents to College Park heading into his junior year.

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In his freshman season at Belmont, Gillespie made the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman Team and the Missouri Valley Conference All-Bench Team. Averaging 9.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.5 steals per game after starting in eight of his 32 game appearances. Shooting 45.4% from the field and scored in double figures in sixteen games, including the first six games of his career. Highlighted by a 24-point performance to end the regular season in a win against Northern Iowa.

Gillespie had his breakout season last year for Belmont averaging a team-leading, career-high 17.2 points per game along with an impressive 4.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.2 steals. He scored 20+ points in seven games, bringing his field goal and three-point percentages up to 56.1% and 38.7% last season. Earning Second-Team All-MVC honors, MVC All-Defensive Team honors, and being named to the Missouri Valley Conference Most-Improved Team.

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Gillespie played high school basketball at Greenville High School in Tennessee, where he was an unranked, unrated recruit in the 2022 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

But according to On3’s College Rating, he entered the transfer portal as a four-star prospect and was ranked the No. 16 overall player in On3’s Transfer Portal Rankings for the 2024 offseason.

Gillespie joins a Maryland team entering their third season under head coach Kevin Willard, and it’s no secret they could desperately use his scoring. The Terrapins ranked second to last in the Big Ten last season in points per game and field goal percentage, finishing tied with Rutgers for the second-worst record in conference play. As he’ll join Virginia Tech transfer Rodney Rice in a pursuit to turn things around for the Maryland basketball program.