Jason Gillespie, a veteran collegiate basketball coach with more than two decades of experience building high-powered offenses and championship-caliber programs, began his second stint at King University in April 2020. Gillespie previously served as an assistant coach for the Tornado in the early 2000s before successful head-coaching tenures at Cincinnati Christian University, Bluefield College, and Reinhardt University.
Since returning to Bristol, Gillespie has guided King to multiple postseason appearances and has overseen the development of numerous all-conference and academic award winners. During the 2025–26 season, King finished 14–17 and delivered several marquee victories, including wins over UNC Pembroke, North Greenville, and a dominant 106–78 performance against Francis Marion. The Tornado advanced in the Conference Carolinas Tournament with a dramatic buzzer-beater over Mount Olive and later defeated North Greenville on the road in the playoffs.
The 2024–25 campaign marked one of the strongest in Gillespie’s tenure, as King posted a 19–12 record and made a deep run in the Conference Carolinas Tournament. The Tornado earned postseason wins over Erskine and Young Harris before falling to top-seed UNC Pembroke. Throughout the season, King secured key victories over North Greenville, Belmont Abbey, and other top conference opponents.
In 2023–24, Gillespie led King to a historic milestone, guiding the program to its first Conference Carolinas Tournament win of his era, defeating Young Harris 97–79 as the nine seed. Freshman standout Mikhail Pocknett earned All-Conference honors and was named Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year, while Amarius Beasley earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District recognition for the second straight season.
The 2022–23 season saw King finish 7–22 overall and qualify for the Conference Carolinas Championship, led by Michael Mays, who earned Second Team All-Conference honors and surpassed the 1,000-point career mark. Both Jaylen Bernard and Beasley were named Academic All-District.
In 2021–22, King opened the season with wins over UVA Wise and Carson-Newman and finished eighth in the league standings. The Tornado ranked among the conference’s best in scoring and field-goal percentage while leading the league in opponent three-point percentage and ranking second in steals. Mays earned Third Team All-Conference honors after leading the league in three-point shooting.
Gillespie’s first season back at King in 2020–21 was marked by strong offensive production, as the Tornado ranked second in Conference Carolinas and 14th nationally in scoring at 85.2 points per game. King also led the league in rebounding and ranked fifth nationally in offensive rebounds per game.
During his second tenure at King, Gillespie’s athletes have earned:
• 3 All-Conference Carolinas selections
• 7 Academic All-Conference honorees
• 4 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selections
• 4 Conference Carolinas Defensive Player of the Week awards
• 1 Conference Carolinas Player of the Week award
His first career win at King came on January 16, 2021, in a 106–82 victory over Bluefield State.
Before returning to King, Gillespie built an impressive résumé across the NAIA landscape. His first head-coaching role at Cincinnati Christian University included a sixth-place finish at the NCCAA National Championships in 2004–05. He then spent four seasons at Bluefield College, where he led the Rams to three 20-win seasons, including a school-record 27 wins in 2008–09. Bluefield made three consecutive NAIA National Championship appearances, the first such streak in school history, and Gillespie was twice named AAC Coach of the Year.
Gillespie later returned to Cincinnati Christian as head coach and athletic director before taking over at Reinhardt University, where he engineered one of the most consistent offensive programs in the NAIA. Under his leadership, Reinhardt posted five straight winning seasons, earned two NAIA National Championship berths, and ranked among the national leaders in scoring. His 2016–17 team finished 22–10 and received national poll votes, while his 2017–18 squad ranked fourth nationally in scoring. In his final season, Reinhardt led the NAIA in turnover margin.
Across 16 seasons prior to his return to King, Gillespie amassed a 280–235 career record, including a 170–103 mark in conference play.
A native of East Tennessee, Gillespie earned his Bachelor’s degree from East Tennessee State University in 1997 and his Master’s degree from Tennessee Technological University in 2000. He and his wife, Cindy, a registered nurse, have three children: Keilan (21), Corydon (13), and Jacie (7).
Last updated: 5/14/26
