Illinois State women’s basketball head coach Kristen Gillespie has announced the promotion of assistant coach, Scott Gillespie, to associate head coach.
“I’m so grateful for the opportunity to grow alongside Kristen,” Gillespie shared. “It is truly a pleasure to work with our players and staff every day. I’m so proud of what we have accomplished over the past five years and am excited for what is to come.”
Gillespie has served as an assistant coach on the Redbird women’s basketball staff for the last five years and has played a key role in the rebuild of the program. During his time with the program, the Redbirds improved from a 14-16 season during the 2017-18 campaign to Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Champions this past year. With the MVC Championship this past season, the ‘Birds made their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2008.
“I am thrilled to name Scott as our Associate Head Coach,” head coach Kristen Gillespie said. “He has been instrumental in our program’s success over the past five years. Scott is an elite recruiter and has done an amazing job developing our perimeter players.”
A 2019 selection to the WBCA’s Thirty Under Thirty List, Gillespie primarily works with the Illinois State guards, working with them to develop their skills. During his tenure, Gillespie has helped recruit and guide two ISU guards to MVC Newcomer of the Year honors, including TeTe Maggett and the 2022 MVC Tournament Most Valuable Player, JuJu Redmond.
Gillespie also played a key role in developing Mary Crompton into one of the best shooters in school history. Crompton owns Illinois State’s 3-point field goals record for both freshmen (68 triples) and sophomores (64 triples).
