Why Ja'Kobi Gillespie was the 'best value' for Tennessee basketball

Ja'Kobi Gillespie swears he won't get emotional during the Tennessee basketball senior day ceremony.

The Greeneville native, however, still can't believe he'll be wearing orange and white for the occasion on March 7.

"It's just a blessing to be able to do it here in Knoxville where I've spent a lot of time growing up," he said. "This year has been special for me and especially for my family. All my family and friends, they've been able to come to all the games and watch me, so it's very special. And then to end it here is also special. To have a Tennessee jersey as my senior day jersey, that really means a lot to me."

Gillespie, along with Amaree Abram, Grant Hurst and Felix Okpara, will be recognized before the No. 25 Vols (21-9, 11-6 SEC) close the regular season against No. 22 Vanderbilt (23-7, 10-7) at Food City Center (2 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes applauded his leading scorer for his loyalty.

"He's been just a beautiful person from the time we met him," Barnes said. "The fact that he wanted to play here — I've said before, he could've gone last year and made a lot more money, but he said, 'No, I want to come home. I want to play in Food City Center.' He dreamed about it and I can tell you, I think he's probably been the best value in college basketball this year. By far."

Gillespie was a star at Greeneville High School and led the Greene Devils to their first Class AA state championship in 2021, and repeated in 2022.

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He played his first two collegiate seasons at Belmont, then transferred to Maryland, where he was the second-leading scorer on the Terrapins' Sweet 16 team in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Barnes made Gillespie a promise when he entered the transfer portal.

"He definitely didn't lie to me. He gave me the keys," Gillespie said. "It hasn't been easy, though. It's had a lot of ups and downs, but I don't regret coming here. I feel like I got better as a player and as a man."

None of the Vols ' seniors spent their entire careers at Tennessee. In the current college sports landscape, Gillespie admitted it's "normal" for seniors to have multiple schools in their background.

Barnes still values their contributions.

"We appreciate this class," he said. "We do because we're in that era now where, year to year, you're going to have some guys that might just be here one year, but we'd like for them to leave knowing that they're part of the Tennessee family. They always will be welcome back."

Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email:  wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How Ja'Kobi Gillespie became 'best value' for Tennessee basketball