It won’t be easy to replace Zakai Zeigler’s production at Tennessee last season, but the Vols’ incoming point guard from the transfer portal looks to have the skillset and mentality to step up to the challenge.
Tennessee made a huge splash in the portal this offseason with the acquisition of former Maryland point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie. The 6-foot-1 guard is a true point guard who can read the floor and command the offense, but can also step back and knock down shots from the perimeter. The Greeneville, TN, native averaged 14.7 points and 1.5 steals per game last season for the Terrapins.
Gillespie was a massive get for the Vols. Not only does Gillespie return to his home state of Tennessee, but Rick Barnes gets a Top 10 portal player to work with next season.
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello recently ranked the Top 100 prospects in the transfer portal with Gillespie coming in at the No. 9 slot. Gillespie lands as the second-highest ranked incoming player to the SEC behind Kentucky’s Jayden Quaintance.
“Gillespie was one of the best point guards in the country after transferring to College Park from Belmont last spring,” Borzello wrote. “He earned third-team All-Big Ten honors, averaging 14.7 points and 4.8 assists while shooting 40.7% from 3-point range. He went for 24 points vs. Kam Jones and Marquette in November.”
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Rodney Rice, a teammate of Gillespie’s at Maryland last season, has also been a Tennessee target in recent weeks. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard ranks as the 17th-best player in Borzello’s rankings on Monday.
Gillespie was the first of two players to commit to Tennessee this offseason – so far. The second is power forward Jaylen Carey, a former player with Vanderbilt last season. While Carey doesn’t appear on Borzello’s Top 100 list, Barnes is extremely pleased with the Vols’ incoming big man and what he can do for that program.
“Well, he pretty much had his way with us,” Barnes said about Carey on Monday. The Vanderbilt transfer totaled 32 points and 17 rebounds in two games at Tennessee last season.
“We thought he was as good a player that we played against all year in the post, in terms of getting done what he needed to get done. And the screen, I don’t think we played against anybody that screened better than he screened us all year long. But obviously excited about Jaylen and what he’s going to bring to us.”
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee basketball offseason news and notes.
Check out Jeff Borzello’s full rankings here.
