America East Basketball: 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

16. Malik Ellison

Originally from Voorhees, New Jersey, Ellison is a 6’6 guard who spent a single season in the America East but took quite a path to get there. He originally arrived on the college scene at St. John’s back in 2015, spending two seasons playing under Chris Mullin, including as a starter as a sophomore. He’d then transfer, sitting out a season before playing starter-level minutes at Pittsburgh, albeit with limited production. In 2019, Ellison arrived at Hartford and would spend his final year of eligibility with the Hawks.

Ellison certainly took advantage of his opportunity at Hartford, becoming the focal piece of the Hawks’ offensive gameplan. He’d average 18.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, playing in the frontcourt after being used as a wing guard earlier in his career. He led Hartford to an 18-win season and had numerous highlights, including a career-high 31 points in a road win at Albany and an 18-point, 19-rebound game in the rematch three weeks later against those same Great Danes.

Though he played just one season in the league, it was a pretty great season, earning him First-Team All-America East honors. Awards aside, Ellison was a major weapon at Hartford in that lone season, really showing his all after struggling at times at those two power conference programs. He could’ve been higher on this list had he spent more than a single season in the league, but Hartford certainly knew the talent they had on the court during that time.