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The senior point guard and leader of one of the best teams in college basketball is done for the 2021 season, as Collin Gillespie of the Villanova Wildcats suffered a season-ending knee injury in Wednesday night’s 72-60 win over Creighton.
The news was confirmed by his head coach Jay Wright on Twitter:
NovaNation – thanks for your prayers and concern . Collin and the Villanova Basketball Family are overwhelmed with the outpouring of concern and support . https://t.co/CtGrgeeev2
— Jay Wright (@VUCoachJWright) March 4, 2021
“We are all devastated for Collin,” said Wright in a statement. “He is the heart and soul of our program. We know we can’t replace him. We all just want to step up and play so that we honor him.” Gillespie averages 14.0 points and 4.6 rebounds for the ‘Cats, and has played in 118 career games.
Because this year doesn’t count against the college basketball eligibility of any player, Gillespie is eligible to return to Radnor next season. The 6’3 guard from Warminster, PA is a local kid, and more so than most seniors, would seem a candidate to try and run it back with the team that he won a national championship with in 2018.
Injuries can be a factor for the NCAA Selection Committee during the seeding process, so VU will need to need to get some wins against Providence on Saturday and in the Big East Tournament to stay somewhere between a No. 2 and No. 3 seed in March Madness.
The ‘Cats clinched their seventh Big East regular season title in eight years with last night’s win.