In Tennessee’s win over Oklahoma on Wednesday night, Vols fans witnessed history as Ja'Kobi Gillespie delivered a performance for the ages. His eight steals set a new single-game program record, etching his name into Tennessee history.
Tennessee fans have always known Gillespie was special. Ever since he's been on campus, he's been making plays for the Vols, being the most consistent force for this team all year. Now we can see his name in the history books for years to come. With the Vols looking to bolster their NCAA tournament seeding, Guillespie's big performance came at the perfect time.
When it comes to the performance, Rick Barnes said the first piece of the puzzle was for Gillespie to slow the game down and react.
“I thought he was just mentally slowed down. A lot of things slowed down for him," said Rick Barnes. "I’ve seen that happen with Nate (Ament) over the last couple of weeks. But for Ja’Kobi seeing it, I think he’s seeing the game the way that he needs to see it."
Having the game slow down for Gilelspie is huge, and now that he's processing everything better, he can take advantage of his great instincts.
Rick Barnes said, "And defensively, he does have great instincts. He’s quick. You guys see it. If he’s that quick on offense, he should be that quick on defense. And he’s getting himself in the right position, which is obviously important. But what he did was, I think it was eight assists, one turnover, eight steals."
Barnes also raved about how when Gillespie is playing at this level Tennessee is a whole new team.
“When your point guard is playing at that level, it changes everything," said Barnes. "With Bishop stepping up and Nate handling it more in transition, it lets him play off the ball a bit. I thought when he was leading the charge, he knew exactly what he was looking for and found it.”
The game is slowing down and that's dangerous for the SEC
When Gillespie is playing at his best, Tennessee operates on an entirely different level, the level where they can compete for a Final Four. His presence alone raises the ceiling of this team, affecting the game on both sides of the ball. And while he isn’t a traditional, pass-first point guard, that versatility is what makes him so dangerous, as he can score off the dribble, but also play as a wing and catch and shoot, and of course, play great on-ball defense.
With some big games coming up, especially on Saturday against Vanderbilt, Tennessee will need him to keep up this level of play.