Nashville Standard

Belmont University men's basketball student-athlete Ja'Kobi Gillespie has been named Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week, the league office announced Monday.

Averaged 20.0 points, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game as Belmont won at Northern Iowa and at home against Indiana State.

He scored a career-high 24 points with four assists at Northern Iowa, making his first eight shots of the game.

The 6-0 guard had 16 points and three steals vs. Indiana State in leading Belmont to its greatest comeback victory in Curb Event Center history.

The Greenville, Tenn., native was 16-of-23 from the field for the week and ranks among league leaders in assists and steals.

This is Gillespie's second MVC Newcomer of the Week award; he also earned the honor Jan. 16.

Belmont (21-10, 14-6 MVC) returns to game action Friday in the quarterfinal round of the 2023 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Tournament.

Belmont University men's basketball has earned postseason invitations 15 of the last 17 seasons, including nine berths to the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins have won 20 conference championships since 2006 - third-most nationally over that span (Gonzaga, Kansas). Belmont has won 20 or more games in 13 consecutive seasons (Gonzaga, Kansas). Belmont is one of only five NCAA Division I programs outside the Power 5 to post Top 100 rankings 12 consecutive seasons (Gonzaga, Saint Mary's (CA), San Diego State, Wichita State). Belmont University men's basketball boasts an NCAA-leading 19 CoSIDA Academic All-America selections since 2001 and is the only NCAA Division I program to make the NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) Honor Roll every year of existence 

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