NEW YORK– Collin Gillespie didn’t look like the second coming of Ryan Arcidiacono when he first arrived at Villanova.
But the Cats’ 6-2 junior point guard is starting to draw comparisons to one of the iconic stars of Villanova’s 2016 national championship team. Gillespie had 17 points, 13 rebounds, six 6 assists, three steals and just one turnover in 37 minutes as the eighth-ranked Cats (17-3) blew by St. John’s, 79-59, before a crowd of 10,155 at the Garden to improve their Big East record to 7-1, winning 13 of their last 14 games. Gillespie has grabbed 21 rebounds in the last two games.
“When Arch was here and we needed something, he’d always find a way.’’’ Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “That was Collin tonight. He was a beast, man. We hadn’t been rebounding well so what does he do, he goes out and rebounds his head off.’’
Gillespie, who is from Archbishop Wood in suburban Philadelphia, was not even on Villanova’s radar when he started his senior year. He had offers from Siena and Rider. Then- Villanova assistant coach Ashley Howard saw him by accident when he drove to Warminster to scout 6-9 forward Dada Cosby-Roundtree and watch McDonald’s All-American Quade Green of nationally ranked St. John Neumann-Goretti, who eventually signed with Kentucky, at mid-season.
Gillespie lit up Neumann-Goretti for 42 points that day and eventually led his team to the 2017 Philadelphia Catholic League title at the Palestra and PIAA Division 5 state championship.
Gillespie played his way onto the Villanova roster. Aside from forward Malik Bridges from non- descript, Great Valley High School near campus, he was the biggest sleeper to sign with the Cats in the Jay Wright era.
As a freshman, he was a part-time role player, backing up national Player of the Year Jalen Brunson on Villanova’s 2018 dominant national championship team. He moved into a starting spot as a sophomore but stuck in the background on a NCAA second round team dominated by seniors Eric Paschal and Phil Booth.
This year, with Villanova entering the season with no seniors and in desperate need of leadership, Gillespie stepped up, following in the footsteps of so many other upper classmen who have defined Villanova’s ongoing success story since 2005.
“We try to emphasize killer instinct,” Wright said. “The older guys pass it on to the younger guys. Guys like Jalen Brunson and Kyle Lowery preach it when they come back in the summer and watch the younger players play pick up.’’
It is as much an attitude as it is individual development. And it has made this young Villanova team a legitimate contender in a league normally dominated by more experienced teams. It may turn out to be one of the most fun teams Wright has ever coached.
The Cats dusted off St. John’s despite the fact 6-7 junior wing Jermaine Samuels, the Cats’ only other experienced starter, missed the game with a strained foot suffered at the end of the Cats’ victory at Providence last weekend.
Wright does not have a deep rotation. But he simply expanded the offensive workload of Gillespie and sophomore forward Saddiq Bey, who finished with 23 points; likely 6-9 Big East Rookie of the Year Jeremiah Robinson Earl, who finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds; and fellow freshman Justin Moore, who started for Samuels and contributed 11 points, and found extended meaningful minutes for 6-10 sophomore Cole Swider, who had 11; and 6-7 sophomore wing Brandon Slater.
The Cats, who made 12 threes and limited St. John’s to four free throws, chewed up St. John’s normally suffocating pressure and didn’t miss a step during the blowout. “They made shots,’’ St. John’s first year coach Mike Anderson said. “They pretty much did what they wanted. We were a half step slow defensively all night.’’
At the start of league season, St. John’s, which had an 11-2 records with quality wins over West Virginia and Arizona—has drifted to the back of the pack with a 13-9 record that includes 2-7 in Big East play. “I thought we’d come and play a lot better, but that’s basketball in the Big East,’’ Anderson said. “This team here doesn’t have a whole lot of room for error.’’
Gillespie continued to make a strong case for first team All-Big East. He is the undisputed leader of this team now and may be the most undervalued player in the country.
