The Gillespie legacy will continue both figuratively and literally at Lewis University.
Lewis University Director of Athletics Dr. John Planek announced that he has hired Kristen Gillespie as the 12th head women’s basketball coach in school-history. Gillespie, who served as the head coach at Division III Benedictine for the past four seasons, is the granddaughter of coaching legend and former Lewis Director of Athletics, head basketball and baseball coach Gordie Gillespie.
“The name Gillespie at Lewis University is synonymous with coaching excellence and now Kristen will be able to add to that legacy,” Planek said. “We feel that the success of our programs have made Lewis a very desirable destination for coaches.
“Her experience as a player and coach at multiple levels with a strong knowledge of the Chicagoland recruiting market made her a very formidable candidate,” Planek continued. “We are very excited to welcome Kristen to our campus.”
The significance of coaching at Lewis is not lost on Gillespie.
“I’ve known from a young age just how special Lewis is,” Gillespie said. “To be able to coach at the University where my grandfather started his collegiate coaching career is extremely humbling.
“This was a position that I have dreamed of since I broke into the coaching profession,” Gillespie continued. “I would like to thank Dr. Planek and the administration for giving me this incredible opportunity and the selection committee for making me feel so welcome during the entire process.
“I’m extremely honored and excited to take on this challenge.”
Gillespie comes to Lewis after leading Benedictine to a record of 18-10 in 2015, which was the most wins by an Eagle squad since 2006. In four seasons, she recorded a mark of 54-53 (.505). She guided Benedictine to four-straight Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Tournament appearances and mentored eight Eagles to All-NACC accolades during her tenure. The Eagles were equally as proficient in the classroom as they registered a cumulative grade point average over 3.0 in each of her four seasons.
Prior to her arrival in Lisle, Gillespie spent two seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the University of Illinois at Chicago from 2009-11, but her formative basketball acumen was developed at North Carolina State under legendary head coach Kay Yow.
Gillespie was a four-year letterwinner and three-year captain for the Wolfpack from 1996-99. As a junior, she was NC State’s starting point guard on the 1998 NCAA Final Four squad and she was also selected as a Honorable Mention Academic All-American the following year as a senior.
Upon her graduation, Gillespie had brief stops as an assistant coach at both Central Florida (1999-2000) and UC Santa Barbara (2000-02), before returning to Raleigh to pursue her masters degree as a graduate assistant under Yow. During her tenure, NC State not only advanced to the NCAA Tournament, but Gillespie played a key role in recruiting a Top 20 recruiting class in the nation in 2004.
Once she had received her masters degree from NC State, Gillespie spent two years as a high school head coach at Maclay School (2005-07) in Tallahassee, Florida, before coming back to Raleigh.
Gillespie returned to Yow’s staff, but as a full time assistant coach and co-recruiting coordinator for the Wolfpack. In 2008, NC State went 21-13 and advanced to the WNIT FInal Four. In that short span, Gillespie coached five players who played professionally, including a WNBA FIrst Round draft pick, and recruited the 2010 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Rookie of the Year.
Gillespie replaces Lisa Carlsen who was named the head women’s basketball coach at Northern Illinois University earlier this month. She inherits a squad that went 31-3 and advanced to the ‘Elite Eight’ of the 2015 NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Tournament. The Flyers return a seasoned team that features All-Americans and former GLVC Players of the Year in seniors Jamie Johnson (South Holland, Ill./Marian Catholic) and Mariyah Brawner-Henley (Skokie, Ill./Niles North).
“Coach Carlsen did a tremendous job building this program into a national powerhouse and I look forward to the challenge of taking this program to even greater heights,” Gillespie said. “I am looking forward to working with our student athletes, and watching them have success in the classroom, in the community and on the court.
“From day one, we will be building towards winning our first national championship.”
http://www.lewisflyers.com/news/2015/7/28/WBB_0728151841.aspx
Photo Courtesy Lewis University
Tagged with: DII GLVC
