Women's Basketball Adds Mike Gillespie Jr. to Coaching Staff
May 21, 2008
CORAL GABLES – <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>University of Miami head women’s basketball coach Katie Meier has announced the addition of Mike Gillespie Jr. to her coaching staff. Gillespie has over 10 years of coaching experience at the Division I level, and will automatically impact the rising program.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>
Last season, Gillespie was hired as the women’s basketball assistant for the Wichita State Shockers. Prior to that, Gillespie, 37, spent five years as the top men’s basketball assistant at Florida A&M. He will assume his duties in Miami immediately.
“Mike is, quite simply, a BASKETBALL GUY – and I mean that as the highest compliment. He brings an extensive basketball background and a tremendous work ethic. He is suberb in the area of player development and will certainly give great input in regards to X’s and O’s,” said Meier.
“Beyond that, he’s an individual of great character who has a real gift in terms of relating to and motivating players. I feel like he will absolutely elevate our program, and I am thrilled to have not only him, but also his wife Dana and their two young girls Baleigh Marie, 7 and Allie Michelle, 3, join the U family.”
While at FAMU, he was responsible for recruiting, all aspects of scheduling for the Rattlers, player development, academic progress, advanced scouting of opponents, team travel and other administrative duties. Since 2003, 87 percent of the senior men’s basketball players at FAMU under Gillespie have earned their degrees.
Gillespie helped lead the Rattlers to two MEAC Conference Tournament titles which led to two appearances in the NCAA Tournament, one of which came just last season after a 21-14 campaign. Under his guidance, FAMU led the MEAC in assists and rebounding, while Leslie Robinson ranked among the top 30 nationally with nearly three three-point field goals per game. In 2004, the Rattlers won their opening-round NCAA Tournament game, the first such victory in school history, and advanced to face top-ranked Kentucky in the first round.
His guidance helped Terrence Woods become a two-time NCAA Division I three-point field goal shooting champion in both 2003 and 2004, as awarded by the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee, and FAMU won over 60 percent of their conference games during his tenure there. While at Florida A&M, he served as the MEAC representative on the National Association of Men’s Basketball Coaches Division I Assistant Coaches Committee.
Prior to his time in Florida, Gillespie spent five years as an assistant on the staff at Mercer, where he helped take over a program that went 4-24 in 1996-97 and turned it into a 20-win program with a 23-6 mark in his final season there.
Gillespie, a native of Joliet, Ill., also had one season coaching stops at both ThomasCollege and TallahasseeCommunity College, where he played before transferring to MoreheadState.
At MSU, Gillespie was a Presidential Scholar-Athlete Award Winner as he helped guide his club to a 14-14 record after the Eagles went 6-21 the year before. He shot nearly 40 percent during his playing career from the three-point line and 81 percent at the charity stripe.
Gillespie earned his B.A., in secondary education/social science from MoreheadState in 1995.
