Scott Gillespie enters his fourth season as Illinois State's Associate head coach in 2025-2026 and his ninth season overall with the Redbirds.
Illinois State earned a fifth-straight postseason appearance and a third straight 20-win season in 2024-25, advancing to the WNIT Fab 4. Illinois State posted a 24-13 record and a 14-6 mark in MVC play, earning the program's fourth WNIT bid over the last four seasons.
The Redbirds posted an historic 2024-25 campaign on the offensive end of the floor. Illinois State ranked fourth in NCAA Division I and led the MVC with a 48.8 percent team field goal percentage, a mark that ranks third in program history. The Redbirds also ranked fourth in NCAA DI shooting 38.5 percent from behind the arc, leading the Valley and ranking third in program history. The Redbirds set a program record with 252 total three pointers. Illinois State ranked 32nd in NCAA DI averaging 76.0 points per game and scored a mark of 2,812 total points during the 2024-25 campaign that set a program record and ranks fourth in MVC history.
Four Redbirds earned MVC honors during the 2024-25 campaign, highlighted by Shannon Dowell's selection to the All-MVC Second team. Elyce Knudsen and Addison Martin landed on the All-MVC Newcomer team while Doneelah Washington earned All-MVC Freshman team honors. Knudsen and Martin combined for eight MVC Newcomer of the Week honors, including's Knudsen's league-leading five selections. Washington earned three MVC Freshman of the Week selections.
Gillespie has helped Illinois State to five postseason appearances in his tenure with the program, including a 2022 bid to the NCAA Tournament that marked the program's first NCAA trip in 14 seasons. In his first season as Associate Head coach, Gillespie helped Illinois State to the 2023-2024 MVC Regular Season title, the program's first since 2010.
The Redbirds earned their fourth-straight postseason appearance and second-straight 20-win season in 2023-2024. Illinois State finished with a 22-12 overall record and 13-7 mark in MVC play while earning a WNIT bid for the third time in the last four seasons. The Redbirds advanced in the post season for the first time since 2013 with a Second-Round WNIT win over Charleston at CEFCU Arena, where the Redbirds hosted postseason basketball for the first time since 2013.
He guided guard Paige Robinson to an historic campaign in her lone season with the Redbirds in 2022-2023 as she earned Jackie Stiles MVC Player of the Year honors and became the first WNBA draft pick in program history with her third round selection by the Dallas Wings. Robinson, also the MVC Newcomer of the Year after transferring from Division II Drury, finished third in the league in points per game, averaging 18.3 per contest in 2022-23 and notched the fourth most single season points for a Redbird with 584 points over her 32 appearances as a Redbird.
"Scott is a true student of the game and has one of the best young coaching minds in the country," head coach Kristen Gillespie said at the time of his hire. "I'm extremely excited he is making the transition over from the men's game. His knack for recruiting and skill development will pay huge dividends for us. His passion for the game is contagious."
A WBCA 30 Under 30 award winner, Gillespie coached three seasons at IUPUI prior to his arrival in Normal, where the Jaguars increased their win total each season under head coach Jason Gardner, the former All-American and 2003 Naismith Player of the Year at Arizona.
Before heading to Indianapolis, Gillespie spent two seasons as a graduate manager at Memphis under head coach Josh Pastner, and Gardner, who was an assistant coach at Memphis and Pastner's teammate at Arizona. While pursuing his Master of Arts in Liberal Studies, the Tigers went 55-15 and made back-to-back NCAA Tournaments.
Gillespie was a standout player at Division III Ripon (Wis.) College, where he was the program's all-time leader in points (1,871) and assists (602). He was officially inducted into the Ripon College Athletics Hall of Fame in the first year he was eligible in July 2021. Gillespie's points record has recently been surpassed and he ranks second all-time in Ripon history. He was a four-time All-Midwest Conference selection, including earning MWC Player of the Year and All-America honors in 2011. Gillespie was a two-time All-Midwest Region selection and three-time Academic All-MWC pick. He earned his degree in communications/business management in 2011.
Gillespie, who is a younger cousin of Kristen, played for his father, Bob, throughout his collegiate career after starring at nearby Ripon High School. His father is a member of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and totaled more than 500 wins during his head coaching career. He also served as Ripon's Athletics Director and baseball coach during his distinguished career.
The younger Gillespie opted to play for his father despite numerous Division I offers after finishing as Ripon High School's all-time leading scorer. After graduation, Gillespie originally began a career in sales in the Chicago-area before opting to return to school and begin pursuing coaching in December 2012.
