Louisville Basketball: Cardinals strike JUCO gold with El Ellis commitment

No. 1 JUCO prospect El Ellis has decided to join Louisville Basketball for the 2020-21 season.

It’s now back-to-back years for Louisville Basketball when it comes to landing the best Junior College prospect. First was Jay Scrubb, who even though he committed to the program, has elected to instead go straight to the upcoming NBA Draft. Hopefully, the Cardinals will have better luck with El Ellis, viewed as the No. 1 overall JUCO player in the 2021 recruiting class.

Along with Oregon State commit Tariq Silver, Ellis was a star for Tallahassee Community College this past season, finishing with a 27-6 record. The Cardinal commit led the team in both scoring (14.3 ppg) and passing (4.5 apg), while shooting 48% from the field overall and 40% from three-point range. He’s a do-it-all 6’3 combo guard that can play and defend both on and off the ball.

He’ll be playing for the Eagles this upcoming season and will once again be the star of the team. Louisville fans will have to wait another year but expect Tallahassee to have some additional fans for their campaign. The Cardinals will be fine without Ellis for 2020-21, thanks to the grad transfer addition of Carlik Jones, one of a few players who averaged 20 ppg, 5 rpg, and 5 apg, this past year.

For the next season, Ellis will be paired with a junior version of David Johnson in the backcourt. There shouldn’t be an issue with them playing with each other in the backcourt, although Johnson’s struggles to shoot the ball may force Ellis to play off the ball more than he’s used to. It’s also great insurance for Louisville, in case Johnson breaks out and opts to go pro early.

For head coach Chris Mack, using the JUCO route is a creative and quite frankly, important in order to remain in the top-tier of the ACC. Traditional powerhouse programs, Duke and North Carolina, consistently get top-5 annual recruiting classes. Florida State gets a five-star talent each year, while Virginia is starting to be in the picture for elite talent. And other programs, such as Syracuse, NC State, and a few more get top-50/100 players as well.

Unless you’re one of the very best in all of college basketball, targeting top-100 talents on the recruiting trail can be hit or miss. If he was a traditional prospect, Ellis would be ranked in the top-40 overall as a high-upside/low ceiling guard player. And with other good recruits, transfers, and having upperclassmen on the roster, Louisville Basketball has the recipe to remain in the upper-tier of the ACC. Ellis being on board only solidifies that.