Gillespie began his second stint at King April of 2020. Gillespie previously served as an assistant coach for the Tornado in the early 2000s before stints at Cincinnati Christian University, Bluefield College and Reinhardt University.
Year-by-Year Coaching Records
Athlete Honors
- 2 All-Conference Carolinas selections
- 7 Academic All-Conference Carolinas honorees
- 3 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selections
- 4 Conference Carolinas Defensive Player of the Week selections
- 1 Conference Carolinas Player of the Week selection
King Highlights
- First career win came on January 16 over Bluefield State College, 106-82
Year-by-Year Season Recaps
2022-23: The Tornado finished 7-22 overall while going 6-14 in Conference Carolinas play. King qualified for the Conference Carolinas Men's Basketball Championship, falling to Francis Marion in the first round. Michael Mays was selected second team All-Conference Carolinas and eclipsed the 1,000-career point mark. Jaylen Bernard and Amarius Beasley garnered College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors.
2021-22: King opened the season on a high note with wins over regional rivals UVA Wise and Carson-Newman. However, the Tornado struggled to find consistency throughout a season filled with narrow defeats. King closed with back-to-back home victories to finish eighth in the Conference Carolinas standings with a record of 11-13. The Tornado dropped the Conference Carolinas Men's Basketball Championship first round game to Francis Marion at Mount Olive to end the season with a 14-15 record. Michael Mays led the league in three-point field goals and three-point field goal percentage as he was selected third team All-Conference Carolinas. The Tornado ranked near the top of the league in scoring and field goal percentage. On the defensive end, King led the league in opponent three-point field goal percentage and ranked second in steals per game.
2020-21: In what was a tumultuous first season on campus, Gillespie guided the Tornado to a 6-12 overall record while going 5-10 in Conference Carolinas play. King finished eighth in the conference tournament, falling at top seed Emmanuel in a conference tournament quarterfinal. King ranked second in the league and 14th in all of NCAA Division II, scoring 85.2 points per game. The Tornado also led the league in rebounding, grabbing 39.6 rebounds per game, including 15.4 offense boards per contest. That mark of 15.4 offense rebounds per game ranked fifth in all of NCAA Division II.
Prior to King
Following a three-year stint as an assistant coach at King, Gillespie’s first head coaching job came at Cincinnati Christian University where he took the Eagles to a sixth place finish at the NCCAA National Championships in his second season, 2004-05. He then spent four years at Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) member Bluefield College, leading the Rams to three 20-win seasons.
Gillespie led the Rams to a school record 27 wins in 2008-09, as the Rams made three straight NAIA National Championship berths. That marked the first time in school history any sport had qualified for the NAIA National Championships for three straight years, and has yet to be achieved again. He was twice named AAC Coach of the Year in his four years leading Bluefield.
The 2008-09 team ranked in the NAIA’s top 10 in 14 statistical categories while running through the AAC with a perfect 18-0 record. The year prior, Gillespie’s squad won 25 games while leading the NAIA in scoring and steals as they Rams poured in 94.4 points per game. Bluefield also ranked second in the country in three-point field goals and assists.
Gillespie then returned to Cincinnati Christian as the men’s basketball coach and athletic director to help guide the athletic department into NAIA membership. Following three years there, he returned to a familiar place, the AAC, this time at Reinhardt University.
Under Gillespie’s tutelage, the Eagles improved from 11 wins his first season to 18 each of the next two years and posted winning records for five straight seasons. In 2016-17, he led Reinhardt to a 22-10 record, finishing second in the AAC standings as the Eagles received votes in the national poll.
Over his tenure at Reinhardt, the Eagles regularly ranked among the nation’s leaders in scoring, and qualified for the NAIA National Championship twice. The Eagles ranked sixth in the NAIA in 2016-17 and fourth in 2017-18, pouring in more than 90 points per game each year. In his final season, the Eagles led the NAIA in turnover margin, a season after ranking second in the country in that category.
In his 16-year career prior to his tenure at King, Gillespie amassed a record of 280-235 while going 170-103 in conference games.
Personal
Gillespie earned his Bachelor's degree from East Tennessee State University in 1997 before earning his Master's from Tennessee Technological University in 2000.
Jason's and his wife Cindy is a Registered Nurse and they have three children, sons Keilan (18), Corydon (10) and daughter Jacie (4).