THE Sydney Kings’ stocks for next season have been given a massive boost with the signing of former US college star forward Perry Ellis.
The Kings’ first import signing for their upcoming campaign, Ellis will bring tremendous versatility, an outstanding work ethic and unquestioned leadership skills to the roster as club management and coaching staff look to improve on last year’s 13 win season.
Ellis played 144 games in his four years at legendary college powerhouse, the Kansas Jayhawks under the highly respected coach Bill Self.
The 23-year-old averaged 12.5 points and 5.8 rebounds over his college career leading the Jayhawks to an impressive 115-29 record that included four trips to the NCAA tournament.
Sydney Kings coach Andrew Gaze spoke to Aussie Hoopla about his search for a talented small forward for this season on our recent podcast and it seems he’s found his man.
“I have followed Perry’s career for a number of years and always enjoy watching Kansas play. As far back as this time last year Jeff and I spoke about how beneficial it would be if a guy ‘like’ Perry Ellis could join our team – so it’s fair to say we are thrilled that we have the man himself signing with us. His pedigree, versatility and basketball IQ will be key attributes that will assist us in strongly moving this program forward”, Gaze said.
Ellis, who measured in at 6’1″ while in the sixth grade, led his team to an ‘Elite Eight’ regional finals appearance in the 2016 tournament. His finest year came as a senior where Ellis averaged 16.9 points and 5.8 rebounds over 38 games. Ellis earned Second Team All-American honours and was named First Team All-Conference as a result.
Ellis possesses a 6-foot-10 wingspan for his height and plays extremely physical for a player of his build. Whilst in the D-League he has developed a much improved three-point shot and should be hard for opposing NBL big men to guard in the post once he gets the ball in the post where he is terrific at taking on players one on one.
His go-to move in the post is a spin move over his left shoulder followed by a jump hook and over his entire career has shown he is very effective in finishing off pick-and-rolls.
A smart defender who always seems to rotate to the right spots on the floor. He also has a knack for drawing charges so he’s sure to fit in well with fellow Kings star Kevin Lisch.
He signed on with the Charlotte Hornets at the conclusion of the tournament but was waived one month later when the team reduced it’s training roster. He appeared in one preseason game.
He then signed on to play with the D-Leagues Greensboro Swarm of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player for the Hornets where he averaged 9.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
Ellis, who is the Kings first import signing for the upcoming season finished his career at Kansas in the school’s top-10 scorers of all time. A list which includes Wilt Chamberlain, Paul Pierce, Jo Jo White and Danny Manning.
During his four years at Kansas, he was also teammates with burgeoning NBA stars Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid.
Ellis will participate in a full summer schedule in the United States before joining his new teammates in Sydney – unless an NBA contract is offered as a result of his summer performances.
PERRY ELLIS BIO
Born: September 14, 1993
Birthplace: Wichita, Kansas
Age: 23
Height: 201cm (6’7”)
Weight: 99kg (218lb)
Position: Small Forward/Power Forward
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
- Consensus Second-Team All-American (2016)
- Two-time First-Team All-Big 12 (2015, 2016)
- Third Team All-Big 12 (2014)
- First-Team Academic All-Big 12 (2016)
- Two-time Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2015, 2016)
- Associated Press Honourable Mention All-American (2015)
- McDonald’s High School All-American (2012)
- First-Team Parade High School All-American (2012)
- University of Kansas All-time Top 10 in scoring
- Gold Medal, 2015 World University Games
CAREER HISTORY
High School:
Wichita Heights (Wichita, Kansas)
College:
University of Kansas (2012-2016)
Professional:
Dallas Mavericks, NBA Summer League (2016)
Greensboro Swarm, NBA Development League (2016-2017)
Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.
