SAN ANTONIO — In the final March of Collin Gillespie’s remarkable—and remarkably long—college basketball career, his father saw someone fall to the floor during a game at Finneran Pavilion. After a few seconds, Jim Gillespie recognized the Villanova player—his son.
“It might be an ankle,” guessed his wife, Therese. But when Collin tried to rise and couldn’t put any weight on his left leg, Jim knew “it had to be worse.”
This was March 3, 2021, as the regular season was coming to a close. Only close friends and family members sat scattered in the stands. At halftime, the Villanova team doctor found the Gillespie family and laid out both sides of his initial evaluation. The injury was significant, a torn MCL, and would require surgery. But the ACL in that knee appeared still intact, which, in theory, meant a shorter rehabilitation.
