Close Menu
The Baylor Lariat
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube LinkedIn
    Trending
    • Baylor community unites in flash flood relief efforts
    • Baylor rescinds LGBTQIA+ inclusion research grant after backlash
    • Students react to emergency alert following campus lockdown
    • Baylor shelter-in-place lifted following police pursuit of robbery suspects
    • Baylor graduate charged after killing cats with pellet gun, hanging bodies over utility lines
    • Baylor Football’s Alex Foster dies at 18
    • Board of Regents confirms budget, renovations, new leadership in May meeting
    • How facilities responds to storms, flooding in campus buildings
    • About us
      • Spring 2025 Staff Page
      • Copyright Information
    • Contact
      • Contact Information
      • Letters to the Editor
      • Subscribe to The Morning Buzz
      • Department of Student Media
    • Employment
    • PDF Archives
    • RSS Feeds
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube LinkedIn
    The Baylor LariatThe Baylor Lariat
    Subscribe to the Morning Buzz
    Thursday, July 17
    • News
      • State and National News
        • State
        • National
      • Politics
        • 2025 Inauguration Page
        • Election Page
      • Homecoming Page
      • Baylor News
      • Waco Updates
      • Campus and Waco Crime
    • Arts & Life
      • Wedding Edition 2025
      • What to Do in Waco
      • Campus Culture
      • Indy and Belle
      • Sing 2025
      • Leisure and Travel
        • Leisure
        • Travel
          • Baylor in Ireland
      • Student Spotlight
      • Local Scene
        • Small Businesses
        • Social Media
      • Arts and Entertainment
        • Art
        • Fashion
        • Food
        • Literature
        • Music
        • Film and Television
    • Opinion
      • Editorials
      • Points of View
      • Lariat Letters
    • Sports
      • March Madness 2025
      • Football
      • Basketball
        • Men’s Basketball
        • Women’s Basketball
      • Soccer
      • Baseball
      • Softball
      • Volleyball
      • Equestrian
      • Cross Country and Track & Field
      • Acrobatics & Tumbling
      • Tennis
      • Golf
      • Pro Sports
      • Sports Takes
      • Club Sports
    • Lariat TV News
    • Multimedia
      • Video Features
      • Podcasts
        • Don’t Feed the Bears
      • Slideshows
    • Advertising
    The Baylor Lariat
    Home»Featured

    Baylor senior Freddie Gillespie looks forward after abrupt end to season

    Pranay MalempatiBy Pranay MalempatiApril 6, 2020 Featured No Comments3 Mins Read
    Senior Freddie Gillespie (right) laughs with redshirt junior MaCio Teague during Baylor's home match against Oklahoma. Gillespie won't receive an extra year of eligibility after the NCAA'a cancellation of the 2020 men's basketball tournament. Brittney Matthews | Multimedia Editor
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    By Pranay Malempati | Sports Writer

    “Like losing a relative.”

    That was how Baylor senior forward Freddie Gillespie described his emotions when he found out his college basketball career had come to an abrupt end. Due to the NCAA canceling the March Madness tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gillespie had played his last Baylor game without knowing it.

    “We put our heart and soul and our passion and it was our main focus, especially during postseason time,” Gillespie said. “We put all this work in and this effort in and it’s taken away. We kind of have to go through the five stages of grief.”

    After the NCAA announced the postseason cancellation in March, Baylor head coach Scott Drew made a statement showing a similar stance on the situation.

    “Student-athlete safety is always our highest priority,” Drew said, “so I understand the decision to cancel the 2020 NCAA tournament, but I’m overwhelmingly disappointed that our team won’t have the opportunity to finish what was arguably the best season in program history.”

    Gillespie started playing organized basketball in eighth grade and suffered multiple significant injuries in high school, prompting him to play Divison III basketball at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn. He them transferred to Baylor, taking a year off as a redshirt player before becoming a defensive anchor on a top five Division I team.

    Gillespie said that now, he is focused on taking the next leap in his basketball career.

    “Making the NBA was one of the goals I had when I first came to Baylor,” Gillespie said. “To play in the NBA and be a special basketball player — nothing’s changed.”

    Gillespie said that while the “unprecedented global pandemic” makes it even more difficult than it already is to reach the NBA, he is still staying in shape, talking to agents, and pushing forward.

    Because of the closure of gyms, Gillespie said that he and the other basketball players have had to get creative with their conditioning.

    “I’m kind of going back to the Rocky Balboa training method; those old-school methods,” Gillespie said. “I do a lot of hill sprints, a mile run, do spinning — try to keep my body conditioned.”

    Gillespie said his experience playing at Baylor has given him much to remember, especially with the people he has bonded with. He also said playing under Drew helped him understand “the process of getting better.”

    “The number of drills I’ve learned,” Gillespie said. “I’ve learned how to watch film, how to study my own game, how to improve my own game, how to build chemistry with others. [Drew] developed my game in every aspect. That’s what Baylor’s given me as I move on in my career.”

    And as much as Baylor has given him, Gillespie said that he wants to help the players who will have an opportunity to continue this program’s success next season.

    He said he is passing on what he knows to the younger players, including two of his roommates, transfers who are eligible to play next season.

    “One thing I told them is keep caring about each other and keep trying to get better,: Gillespie said. “Those are two things that took me really far. Those two principles: if you care about each other and always try to improve your game and be competitive and be better, those will take you to a national championship.”

    Pranay Malempati

    Keep Reading

    Baylor community unites in flash flood relief efforts

    Baylor rescinds LGBTQIA+ inclusion research grant after backlash

    Students react to emergency alert following campus lockdown

    Baylor shelter-in-place lifted following police pursuit of robbery suspects

    Baylor graduate charged after killing cats with pellet gun, hanging bodies over utility lines

    Baylor Football’s Alex Foster dies at 18

    Add A Comment

    Comments are closed.

    Recent Posts
    • Baylor community unites in flash flood relief efforts July 9, 2025
    • Baylor rescinds LGBTQIA+ inclusion research grant after backlash July 9, 2025
    About

    The award-winning student newspaper of Baylor University since 1900.

    Articles, photos, and other works by staff of The Baylor Lariat are Copyright © Baylor® University. All rights reserved.

    Subscribe to the Morning Buzz

    Get the latest Lariat News by just Clicking Subscribe!

    Follow the Live Coverage
    Tweets by @bulariat

    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube LinkedIn
    • Featured
    • News
    • Sports
    • Opinion
    • Arts and Life
    © 2025 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.