Though Tennessee basketball lost in the Elite Eight to Houston, they gained a new volunteer, who is now a former Maryland top guard and fellow Tennessian Ja'Kobi Gillespie, via the transfer portal.  

According to Joe Tipton of On3Sports, the junior guard, born in Greeneville, officially committed to Tennessee on Friday. He entered the transfer portal after his coach, Kevin Willard, took the head coaching job at Villanova. 

Gillespie is coming off a season in which he averaged 14.7 points and 4.8 assists per game.

Thanks partly to Gillespie's contributions, Maryland made it to the Sweet 16 before losing to Florida 87-71. Gillespie finished the game with 17 points in 31 minutes of play. 

Before coming to Maryland, Gillespie played two seasons at Belmont University in Nashville. Over two years, he averaged 12.9 points, 3.7 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game. 

Along the way, Gillespie became known for his ability to score and vision of the court while also utilizing his leadership skills to create opportunities for himself and others to contribute. 

Article Continues Below
Related Tennessee Basketball News

Those attributes will lead him back home, and it couldn't have happened at the right time. 

Ja'Kobi Gillespie is what Tennessee is looking for

Outside of coming home, Gillespie is exactly what Tennessee and coach Rick Barnes are seeking in terms of a guard who can be a playmaker. Not only that, but he will be filling a void left behind by standout guard Zakai Ziegler, who is set to graduate. 

Gillespie is expected to be in the starting lineup next season. He will also play a big part in helping to develop the recent recruit, Troy Henderson, from Richmond, VA. 

Gillespie fulfills Tennessee's biggest needs on two significant fronts. He possesses the leadership skills and experience to take over as starting guard and can be an effective mentor to some of the top talent coming down the pike.