MCL tear benches Villanova’s Gillespie
Villanova senior and Archbishop Wood graduate Collin Gillespie, described by Wildcats coach Jay Wright as the “heart and soul” of the team, will be out for the remainder of the season. The school announced Thursday that an MRI confirmed the 6-3 point guard suffered a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee during Wednesday’s 72-60 victory over Creighton.
Gillespie came down awkwardly after becoming entangled with Creighton’s Damien Jefferson during a play in the paint with 6:38 to play in the first half. Gillespie immediately grabbed his left knee and had to be helped off the court and then to the locker room for examination.
When he returned to the floor in the second half he was on crutches and the knee was wrapped in an ace bandage. He
did not return to the game.
“We are all devastated for Collin,” Wright said 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.
“Collin is as mentally tough and resilient as any player we have had here. I know he will get through this and make it a positive for his career.”
It’s a disastrous blow to the postseason chances for the 10th-ranked Wildcats (16-4 overall, 11-3 Big East), who wrapped up their seventh league title in the last eight years with the victory over the Bluejays. A threeyear starter and captain, Gillespie was having the best season of his career, averaging 14 points, 4.6 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game. His 2.9 assist-turnover ratio ranked second in the Big East and he is a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, given annually to the top point guard in the country.
Gillespie’s loss leaves Villanova with just two experienced guards in sophomore Justin Moore and junior Caleb Daniels. Moore is expected to take over the point guard role moving forward. He said after the game Wednesday night that he is up to the challenge.
“Every day in practice we play multiple positions,” Moore said. “I run the one, I run the two, so we’re all interchangeable. We all work on our skills every day.”
As far as Gillespie’s future, there is an opportunity to return. In October, the NCAA granted all winter sports athletes an extra year of eligibility due to the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. Gilliespie was non-committal on the subject when asked about it earlier in the week and Wright would not speculate on that possibility after the game.
If Gillespie decides to pass on that opportunity, he leaves with an impressive resume. He ranks 47th in career scoring (1,264 points) and 20th in career assists (361). He is 13th player in program history with at least 1,250 career points and 350 assists. He started 87 of the 118 games he has played in his career and averaged 10.4 points, 3.1 assists, 2.6 rebounds and just 1.3 turnovers per game. The Wildcats went 94-24 in that time, won a national championship, three Big East regular-season titles and two tournament crowns.
“There’s probably not one player that’s had such an impact on a team in a year as Collin does here,” Wright said. “Spiritually, he’s our leader. Work ethic, he’s our leader. Characterwise, he’s our leader, (and) on the court he is. He’s tough to replace. We’re going to have to grow up real quick and guys are going to have to step up and I think they will.
“He’s having an incredible senior year. He missed the NCAA tournament last year. He was looking to have a big-time tournament. He’s a pro prospect, all of these things. This is tough on him but we’re going to try to focus on the positives of rehabbing or whatever he has to do.”