It’s Confirmed: Ja’Kobi Gillespie Is The Real Deal

Image: Kyndall Williams/Tennessee Athletics

By Aidan Sidoti

My goodness, if you were stuck working during the Tennessee game earlier today, I’m so sorry.

You missed Ja’Kobi Gillespie putting on an absolute clinic.

The Maryland transfer was unstoppable in Tennessee’s 85-60 win over Rutgers in the Player’s Era Tournament, exploding for a career-high 32 points in just 28 minutes.

Gillespie shot 11-of-20 from the field and buried six out of ten attempts from deep. 

At one point in the first half, Gillespie had single handedly outscored Rutgers 17-15 with 8:30 still on the clock. 

Through the early stretch of the season, Gillespie is averaging 16.6 points and 6.0 assists per game. 

Monday’s breakout gave Vol fans their answer to the question of who would step up after Zakai Zeigler’s departure.

With Gillespie driving the offense, Tennessee’s ceiling continues to rise as the Vols push deep in the Player’s Era.

Tennessee will face Houston tomorrow at 6 p.m. ET on TNT in a rematch of last year’s Elite Eight.