Perry Ellis (born September 14, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League (NBL). In 2016, Ellis joined the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA Development League following an outstanding four-year career at the University of Kansas. Playing for highly respected Kansas coach Bill Self, Ellis averaged 12.5 points and 5.8 rebounds over 144 college games, leading the Jayhawks to an impressive 115â€"29 record that included four trips to the NCAA Tournament. He led his team to an 'Elite Eight' Regional Finals appearance in the 2016 tournament.
Early life
Ellis began playing basketball in first grade, and measured 6'1" in sixth grade. He attended Wichita Heights High School, where he was coached by Joe Auer. He led Wichita Heights to four state titles, was named Kansas player of the year four times, and recorded a cumulative 2,231 points and 984 rebounds during his prep career. Academically, Ellis maintained a 4.0 GPA and was named valedictorian of his high school class. He was selected as a McDonald's All-American after his senior season in 2012.
College career
Ellis scored a career-high 32 points on February 15, 2014 in a 95â€"65 victory over TCU. He contributed eight rebounds to go along with his 13-of-15 shooting. He averaged 13.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game as a sophomore. Ellis scored more than 20 points in eight games that year. In July, he participated in the LeBron James Skills Academy.
In his junior season, Ellis led Kansas in scoring and rebounding with 13.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. He shot 45.7 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from behind the arc. Ellis was named to the First Team All-Big 12. He sprained his knee in a late-season game against West Virginia, derailing his season. Ellis considered entering the 2015 NBA draft after the season, but decided to return for his senior year after being told he would be selected in the second round.
With him coming back to the Jayhawks in his senior year, he contributed with 16.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. He shot 53.3 percent from the field, and 44.4 percent behind the arc. He was also named to the 35-man midseason watchlist for the Naismith Trophy on February 11, 2016.
During his time at Kansas, Ellis was a consensus second-team All-American pick his senior year and was Big 12 men’s basketball scholar-athlete of the year for his junior and senior years.
Professional career
After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, Ellis joined the Dallas Mavericks for the 2016 NBA Summer League. On September 23, 2016, he signed with the Charlotte Hornets, but was waived on October 22 after appearing in one preseason game. On October 31, 2016, he was acquired by the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player of the Hornets. Ellis appeared in all 50 games for Greensboro in 2016â€"17, averaging 9.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
On May 19, 2017, Ellis signed with the Sydney Kings of the Australian National Basketball League for the 2017â€"18 season. Ellis also signed on with the Minnesota Timberwolves' Summer League roster in the hopes that he could secure an NBA deal instead, but with plans to join the Kings if a roster spot were not available.
National team career
Ellis represented the United States at the 2015 World University Games. He averaged 13.3 points and 6.5 rebounds in leading Team USA to an 8â€"0 record and an 84â€"77 victory over Germany in the gold medal game.
References
External links
- Perry Ellis at kuathletics.com
