Forward Delrecco Gillespie has joined the University of Houston Men’s Basketball program after signing a scholarship agreement, Head Coach Kelvin Sampson announced on Apr. 23.
Gillespie will play as a senior for the Cougars in the 2026-27 season and has one year of eligibility remaining. He brings experience from over 100 collegiate games, during which he scored 984 points and collected 741 rebounds.
“Delrecco can rebound it, and he can score it, and his second jump reminds me a lot of Jojo (Joseph Tugler). He brings good size and good length,” Sampson said. “The MAC is a great basketball conference. The fact that Delrecco was one of the best players in that league speaks volumes. Once he gets here and we get him going, he is going to be a tremendous asset for us next year.”
Gillespie comes to Houston after three seasons at Kent State, where he helped lead the Golden Flashes to a record of 24-10 overall and a mark of 14-4 in the Horizon League while averaging 17.7 points and 11.3 rebounds per game as reported by the university’s announcement. Throughout his junior season, Gillespie ranked among the top four rebounders nationally and led all players with 22 double-doubles in just 34 games.
He began his junior campaign with nine consecutive double-doubles, including notable performances such as scoring 30 points with 13 rebounds against Cleveland State followed by a game with 26 points and 17 rebounds against Wright State. His achievements earned him recognition as an Oscar Robertson Honored National Player of the Week in mid-November and Oscar Robertson Mid-Major Player of the Month for November.
Gillespie was named to both the All-Mid-American Conference First Team and All-Defensive Squad while being recognized three times as MAC Player of the Week during his last season at Kent State.
Before college, Gillespie played at East Coweta High School in Georgia where he averaged nearly fourteen points per game along with more than eleven rebounds per contest on his way to earning All-State First Team honors.
