Illinois State women’s head basketball coach Kristen Gillespie rounded out her coaching staff with the hiring of assistant coach Scott Gillespie, the now former assistant men’s basketball coach at IUPUI in Indianapolis, Indiana.
“Scott is a true student of the game and has one of the best young coaching minds in the country,” Gillespie said. “I’m extremely excited he is making the transition over from the men’s game. His knack for recruiting and skill development will pay huge dividends for us. His passion for the game is contagious.”
Gillespie coached the last three seasons at IUPUI, where the Jaguars increased their win total each season under head coach Jason Gardner, the former All-American and 2003 Naismith Player of the Year at Arizona.
Before heading to Indianapolis, Gillespie spent two seasons as a graduate manager at Memphis under head coach Josh Pastner, and Gardner, who was an assistant coach at Memphis and Pastner’s teammate at Arizona. While pursuing his Master of Business Administration, the Tigers went 55-15 and made back-to-back NCAA Tournaments.
“I am so excited to join the Redbird family and to be on Kristen’s staff,” Scott Gillespie said. “She is a proven winner and has done so at every level as both a player and coach. I look forward to getting to work right away for her to help restore the Illinois State Women’s Basketball Program to a championship level. I can’t thank Jason Gardner and the IUPUI staff enough for the opportunity to work there over the past three seasons. They’ve helped me grow as a coach and given me tools that I can carry on to help the program here be successful. My wife Lindsey and I are thrilled to be joining the ISU family and community.”
Gillespie was a standout player at Division III Ripon (Wis.) College, where he remains the program’s all-time leader in points (1,871) and assists (602). He was a four-time All-Midwest Conference selection, including earning MWC Player of the Year and All-America honors in 2011. Gillespie was a two-time All-Midwest Region selection and three-time Academic All-MWC pick. He earned his degree in communications/business Management in 2011.
Gillespie, who is a younger cousin of Kristen, played for his father, Bob, throughout his collegiate career after starring at nearby Ripon High School. His father is a member of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and totaled more than 500 wins during his head coaching career. He also served as Ripon’s Athletics Director and baseball coach during his distinguished career.
The younger Gillespie opted to play for his father despite numerous Division I offers after finishing as Ripon High School’s all-time leading scorer. After graduation, Gillespie originally began a career in sales in the Chicago-area before opting to return to school and begin pursuing coaching in December 2012.
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