Louisville basketball: 3 things to like about new commit El Ellis
By Jacob Lane
El Ellis confirms/establishes JUCO pipeline for Louisville basketball
For the second year in a row, Louisville basketball has landed the most talked about junior college player in the country. There are a lot of other players that are gaining attention from major colleges, but none have the offer sheet of El Ellis.
Last year in the recruitment of local recruit and the nation’s top JUCO player, Jay Scrubb, we heard a lot about how he wanted to find a school that was able to quickly develop players from that level and prepare them for a professional career.
Clearly what he heard from Mack was enough to commit and while he never suited up as a Card, and instead will head straight to the 2020 NBA Draft, the recruitment showed other junior college players that Louisville should be considered as a program that can develop talent.
Each year we see one or two players come from the JUCO ranks who are ready to come in and be a star from day one. Last year obviously we saw that’s what Scrubb could’ve been, and this year Ellis will follow in the same footsteps.
In a time where Louisville basketball has been severely impacted by the ongoing NCAA investigation into the program, Mack has continued to find creative ways to keep recruiting going strong and keep the roster stacked. Assuming that Ellis eventually plays for Louisville and goes on to have a big career, you can guarantee that more players are going to follow. While not all junior college players are ready or able to play at a high level in leagues like the ACC, there are typically one or two players who are – and now Louisville should find themselves in a good position to continue adding experienced and talented players.
At the Junior College level, players who can contribute in power five basketball are few and far between. Top JUCO players are highly sought after because they bring the ability to fill holes in rosters for power five coaches.
Mack’s ability to land the top guy two years in a row is commendable, and a fantastic way to keep the program moving during some uncertainty around the program.