Gillespie leads USA to bronze medal
Villanova guard and Archbishop Wood graduate Collin Gillespie made sure Team USA did not come home from the Pan-American Games empty handed.
Gillespie scored 19 of his team-high 24 points in the second half as Team USA rallied from a five-point deficit to beat the Dominican Republic, 92-83, in the bronze medal game Sunday.
“Collin’s championship pedigree showed tonight,” said Providence coach Ed Cooley, the head coach of Team USA, which consisted exclusively of current and former players from the Big East Conference.
Gillespie shot 8-for-16 in 30 minutes and 5-for12 from 3-point range. He scored 11 straight points in the third quarter and also grabbed three rebounds, handed out two assists and drew six fouls.
“It wasn’t just me,” said Gillespie, who is heading into his junior season on the Main Line. “I have great teammates and we had a great team effort. We were going against some pros and we are just a bunch of college dudes, but our goal was to bring something home with us.”
Villanova teammate and fellow junior Jermaine Samuels Jr. was part of the USA squad that erased a 65-60 deficit to bring home the bronze medal. He finished with nine points and seven rebounds. Alpha Diallo (Providence) pitched in with 23 points, five boards and three assists. His bucket with 7:25 left gave Team USA the lead for good, 69-67.
Geoff Groselle (Creighton) added 18 points and 10 rebounds. Myles Powell (Seton Hall) chipped in with 14 points.
Gillespie averaged 8.6 points and 2.2 assists in the five games. Samuels Jr. averaged 9.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.
“We faced some adversity along the way, and we bounced back every time,” Cooley said. “I am so proud of the mental toughness of this group. They were a pleasure to coach. We’re so proud to represent our country and the Big East.”