It looks like Ja’Kobi Gillespie is going to make history next week.
The NBA Draft begins Tuesday and, while not tabbed as a first-round pick, Gillespie is expected to be chosen at some point in next Wednesday’s second round. That would make Gillespie, a native of Greeneville, Tenn., the first athlete from Northeast Tennessee taken in the NBA Draft in the modern era – since the Draft went to a two-round format in 1989.
You’ve got to go all the way back to 1982 to find the last time an NET athlete was taken in the NBA Draft. That was Gary Carter, a product of Tennessee who was chosen by the Clippers (then playing in San Diego) in the fifth round, with the 94th overall selection.
Gillespie also last played at Tennessee, the end of a nomadic basketball journey that began at Belmont, before he spent the 2024-25 campaign at Maryland. Gillespie returned to his home state, and joined up with his hometown school, and maximized the opportunity, setting the Vols’ single-season steals record and becoming the first Tennessee player to amass both 650 points and 200 assists in a campaign.
At least a couple of pundits have compared the 6-foot, 188-pound Gillespie’s game to that of Jalen Brunson, another undersized guard, who helped lead the Knicks to their first NBA title in 53 years. Brunson, who is about 2 inches taller, was also a second-round draft pick – by Dallas, in 2018.
The Athletic had some pretty high praise for Gillespie, calling him “a winner, through and through. From his high school days to his final two years of college, the teams Gillespie has run have almost always exceeded expectations. That’s because he helps his team win the possession battle as a low-turnover, high-steals player who is also a fearless shot-maker. In the second round, you can certainly do worse than someone who knocks down shots, makes good decisions and works hard on defense. He’s a lead guard who you can employ to run your G League team for a year and maybe move up to the NBA later in the year if you need depth. There are size-based limitations, but Gillespie has a chance to stick as a third guard.”
You can also read the Sports Illustrated scouting report.
We’ll have to wait and see where Gillespie lands in the draft next Wednesday.
Transfer portal update
A few moves in the portal in the first half of June…
BASEBALL: Science Hill grad Landon Smelser announced on Instagram that he was committing to Mercer. Smelser made the all-freshman team in the Ohio Valley Conference in 2025, then hit .291 with an .823 OPS, nine homers, 32 RBIs, and a 7.5% strikeout rate as a sophomore.
Another Science Hill product, Jaxon Diamond, went in the portal as of June 4 after spending the past two seasons in a utility role at Murray State. Diamond played sparingly at Murray; he only logged 10 at bats this past spring. Jaxon’s sister, Maddie, is on the softball team at Delaware.
Staying with Science Hill, a few former Hilltoppers are bound for major college ball after stints with the ultra-successful program at junior college Walters State. Major Osbolt (8-1, 4.56 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 102 K), a 6-4 right-handed pitcher, is headed for LSU. Another hurler, 6-0 right-handed Ryan Smith (4-1, 5.67 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 33 K) is bound for North Carolina.
SOFTBALL: The first Division I athlete ever to come out of Volunteer High School in any sport, Addyson Fisher entered the portal according to reports earlier this month, following a freshman season at Virginia Tech.
Fisher (3-0, 3.57 ERA) didn’t get a ton of work as a college rookie with the Hokies, and almost entirely as a reliever after starting throughout her high school career. She threw 15 2-3 innings, and none since March 29, although cameras caught her warming up in the bullpen during Tech’s NCAA Regional appearance at LSU. An SI.com article opined that “given that Virginia Tech currently has three starter-quality pitchers in senior left-hander Emma Mazzarone, redshirt sophomore right-hander Bree Carrico and sophomore right-hander Avery Layton, Fisher’s route to significant innings was set to be complicated regardless.”
Elsewhere in Division I softball, Carly Compton, who played the bulk of her high school career at Tennessee High, transferred from North Carolina to Charlotte. Compton only made three appearances as a freshman at UNC. The move was announced by Charlotte June 15.
Pro baseball
The Texas Rangers placed Evan Carter on the injured list on June 13 with a strained oblique, sustained when he made a diving catch in the fourth inning of the Rangers’ June 12 game with Boston. The offensive struggles persist for Carter, who was hitting .176 with six home runs and 21 RBIs when he got hurt.
Of the locals playing minor league ball, Josh Owens currently has had the strongest season. Owens, a third-round pick of the Rangers in last year’s draft, has been playing in the organization’s rookie league at the Arizona complex. A two-way player, Owens is hitting .300 with a .966 OPS, seven home runs, and 19 RBIs in 80 total at bats.