Collin Gillespie

Collin Gillespie (born June 25, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Villanova Wildcats. Gillespie was named Big East co-Player of the Year in 2021 and won it outright the following year.

Collin Gillespie
Gillespie with Villanova in 2021
No. 21 – Denver Nuggets
PositionPoint guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1999-06-25) June 25, 1999
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High schoolArchbishop Wood Catholic
(Warminster, Pennsylvania)
CollegeVillanova (2017–2022)
NBA draft2022: undrafted
Playing career2022–present
Career history
2022–presentDenver Nuggets
2022–present→Grand Rapids Gold
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
Pan American Games
Bronze medal – third place2019 LimaTeam

Early life and high school career

Gillespie is the son of a police officer. He attended Archbishop Wood Catholic High School, where he was coached by John Mosco. Gillespie had no Division I scholarship offers coming into his senior year, but received offers from Rider, Hofstra and Villanova after strong play in a tournament.[1] He scored 42 points in a regular-season win over Neumann Goretti featuring Kentucky recruit Quade Green.[2] As a senior, he led the team to a PIAA Class 5A state title in 2017.[3] Gillespie averaged 24.1 points per game as a senior and was named Philadelphia Player of the Year by the Philadelphia Daily News as well as Catholic League Most Valuable Player. He signed a letter of intent with Villanova on April 14, 2017, joining Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree and Jermaine Samuels in the class of 2021.[4]

College career
Gillespie in 2018

Gillespie enrolled at Villanova in the fall of 2017, and he wanted to redshirt his freshman year at the school, but coach Jay Wright decided against doing it because Gillespie "was playing above his years."[3] Soon breaking into the rotation, Gillespie scored in double figures in his second collegiate game, but he also had to learn to adjust to the quickness of the college game. Gillespie had to miss more than a month in December and January due to a fractured bone in his left hand sustained in a December 10 practice. However, he returned to action in a January 17 road win over Georgetown.[3] He provided quality minutes and had eight points including two three-pointers in a February 1 win over Creighton due to the absence of Phil Booth with a similar hand injury.[1] Gillespie made his first start on February 10, in an 86–75 win over Butler. In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Gillespie scored nine points and had a steal in a win versus Radford. He had four points and five rebounds in the 79–62 NCAA championship game win over Michigan. He averaged 4.3 points per game in 14.4 minutes per game.[5] Gillespie posted a 2.6-to-1 assist to turnover ratio, which Wright attributed to him thinking about his teammates and trying to make them better.[3]

Gillespie scored a season-high 30 points in a 77–65 win against Georgetown on February 3, 2019.[6] On March 9, he had 22 points in a 79–75 loss to Seton Hall.[7] As a sophomore, Gillespie averaged 10.9 points per game.[8]

Coming into his junior season, Gillespie broke his nose in practice, forcing him to wear a mask for several games.[9] Gillespie had 27 points and six assists in an 87–78 loss to Baylor in the championship game of the Myrtle Beach Classic. He was named to the All-Tournament Team and Big East player of the week on November 25.[10] On January 28, 2020, Gillespie had his first double-double with 17 points and a career-high 13 rebounds in a 79–59 win over St. John's.[11] Gillespie scored a season-high 29 points on February 16, in a 76–56 win over Temple.[12] At the conclusion of the regular season, Gillespie was selected to the Second Team All-Big East.[13] He averaged 15.1 points, 4.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game on a team that finished 24–7.[14]

Coming into his senior season, Gillespie was named to the Bob Cousy Award watchlist as well as Preseason First Team All-Big East.[15][16] He tore his MCL during a 72–60 win over Creighton on March 3, 2021, ending his season.[17] At the conclusion of the regular season, Gillespie was named Big East Co-Player of the Year alongside teammate Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Seton Hall's Sandro Mamukelashvili.[18] He averaged 14 points and 4.6 assists per game. Gillespie decided to take advantage of the additional season of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[19]

On February 15, 2022, Gillespie scored a career-high 33 points despite playing on a swollen ankle in an 89–84 win at Providence.[20]

Professional career

Denver Nuggets (2022–present)

After going undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft, Gillespie signed a two-way contract with the Denver Nuggets.[21] Gillespie joined the Nuggets' 2022 NBA Summer League team. In his Summer League debut, Gillespie scored 11 points, six rebounds, and four assists in a 78–85 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.[22][23] In four Summer League games, he averaged 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game.[24]

On July 30, 2022, the Nuggets announced that Gillespie had undergone surgery for a lower leg fracture and that he would be out indefinitely.[24] Gillespie ended his rookie season as an NBA champion when the Nuggets beat the Miami Heat in the 2023 NBA Finals.

On July 18, 2023, Gillespie re-signed with the Denver Nuggets on another two-way contract.[25]

National team career

In the summer of 2019, Gillespie was a part of the United States National team who competed at the Pan American Games in Peru. The team won bronze, defeating Dominican Republic behind 25 points from Gillespie.[26]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Villanova 32114.4.452.394.8001.31.1.6.14.3
2018–19 Villanova 353529.4.409.379.8392.42.81.1.110.9
2019–20 Villanova 313134.1.406.357.8173.74.51.2.115.1
2020–21 Villanova 202033.4.428.376.8333.34.61.0.014.0
2021–22 Villanova 383834.2.434.415.9053.83.21.0.015.6
Career 15612528.9.422.387.8482.93.11.0.011.9

References
  1. Jensen, Mike (February 2, 2018). "Villanova freshman Collin Gillespie proving he belongs". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  2. Moore, Tom (March 28, 2018). "Moore: Archbishop Wood grad Collin Gillespie can join select group with 2 Villanova wins". The Intelligencer. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  3. Moore, Tom (March 6, 2018). "Freshman Collin Gillespie has given Villanova an unanticipated spark this season". The Morning Call. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  4. Murphy, Mike (April 14, 2017). "Archbishop Wood basketball star Collin Gillespie signs with Villanova". NBC Sports. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  5. "2 Collin Gillespie". Villanova Wildcats. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  6. "Gillespie's career game carries No. 14 Villanova past Hoyas". ESPN. Associated Press. February 3, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  7. "Seton Hall scores second big upset, stuns No. 23 Villanova". ESPN. Associated Press. March 9, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  8. "Breakdown: Purdue vs. Villanova". The Journal Gazette. March 23, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  9. Juliano, Joe (October 24, 2019). "Injuries are affecting Collin Gillespie's prep for start of Villanova's basketball season". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  10. "Villanova's Gillespie, DePaul's Weems Take #BIGEASTmbb Weekly Honors". Big East Conference. November 25, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  11. "No. 8 Villanova, minus Samuels, trounces St. John's 79–59". ESPN. Associated Press. January 28, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  12. "Gillespie leads No. 15 Villanova past Temple". ESPN. Associated Press. February 16, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  13. Juliano, Joe (March 8, 2020). "Saddiq Bey leads a group of four Villanova players receiving Big East postseason honors". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  14. Moore, Tom (March 12, 2020). "Collin Gillespie fuels the Villanova offense". Bucks County Courier Times. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  15. "Gillespie Tabbed to Cousy Award Watch List". Villanova Wildcats. November 2, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  16. Hunt, Donald (October 29, 2020). "Villanova basketball team picked to win the Big East". The Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  17. Selbe, Nick (March 4, 2021). "Villanova Guard Collin Gillespie Tears MCL, Out for Rest of Season". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  18. "Gillespie, Robinson-Earl Among 3 BIG EAST Players of the Year". Villanova Wildcats. March 10, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  19. Cobb, David (April 12, 2021). "Villanova's Collin Gillespie, Jermaine Samuels returning to Wildcats for 2021–22 college basketball season". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  20. "Gillespie nets 33, No. 10 Villanova beats No. 8 Friars 89–84". ESPN. Associated Press. February 15, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  21. "Nuggets Sign Collin Gillespie to Two-Way Contract". www.nba.com. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  22. "Denver Nuggets 2022 NBA2K23 Summer League Roster | NBA.com". www.nba.com. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  23. "Denver Nuggets vs Minnesota Timberwolves Jul 8, 2022 Box Scores | NBA.com". www.nba.com. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  24. "Nuggets two-way guard Collin Gillespie out indefinitely after fracturing leg". SB Nation. Retrieved 2022-07-30.
  25. "NUGGETS SIGN GILLESPIE, HUFF AND KEY TO TWO-WAY CONTRACTS". NBA.com. July 18, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  26. "U.S. Men Rally To Win Bronze Medal at Pan American Games". USA Basketball. August 4, 2019. Archived from the original on August 6, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
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