![]() ![]() A lot of people are going to know me as the guy who shoot 3s, but don't be surprised if there's some other stuff going on with that. "I think the sky's the limit in terms of what I can bring from that perspective. ![]() "I know the development of my game, in terms of handling the ball better, make ball screen reads, make reads off handoffs, get downhill to make plays for me and my teammates," Ellis said. He also was drawn to the opportunity to help build the culture that Drew began last year and pursue a graduate degree in Business Administration for his entrepreneurial side. Staff trust, game environment and system fit mattered more. The response was reassuring about the progress he felt his game had made.īut as a 21-year-old being recruited, his priorities and viewpoints had changed from the first go-around as a teenager. With the transfer portal overrun with options, Ellis was not sure how a player from a 5-7 Bucknell team would be received. I'm looking to get to that next level in terms of my game and my body." Going from only playing 12 games to having two seasons left and I get to play them at Grand Canyon is a blessing. "I'm really excited to get to Grand Canyon and really see what I can make of these next two years. "You have no idea how excited I am for that," Ellis said. The Drew and Ellis families were familiar, and Ellis received his first college offer as a sophomore from Drew, who was Valparaiso's head coach at the time.Įllis played his senior year at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire before moving to Bucknell in central Pennsylvania, where he will graduate this summer before moving to GCU in June. His ability to defend multiple positions will fit in very nicely with our program."Įllis, 21, grew up in Granger, Indiana, near Notre Dame, where his father played collegiately. "He has good size and shoots the ball exceptionally well. "Walter comes from a great pedigree of basketball," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. He has shot 40.2% on 3s over the past two seasons but became a starter drawing the toughest defensive assignments last season. He's been one of the closest to me, from a basketball perspective, since I first started taking things seriously."īasketball has turned more serious for Ellis, whose playing time went from 8.2 minutes per game as a freshman to 17.4 as a sophomore and 27.8 last season. ![]() "Having Ryne Lightfoot there is huge," Ellis said. Lopes director of player development Ryne Lightfoot has known Ellis since he was a 10-year-old attending basketball camp at Bethel in Mishawaka, Indiana, where Lightfoot was head coach for two years and assisted his father, Mike, for his final six years of a 30-year NAIA Hall of Fame career.įormer NBA star and ESPN college basketball analyst LaPhonso Ellis, Walter's father, assisted Lightfoot over his two seasons as Bethel head coach after Lightfoot had helped work out his son almost daily for years. But beyond what the Lopes have to offer for a NCAA tournament-quality program and home environment, GCU broached a trust with Ellis that could not be matched. Ellis, a sharpshooting 6-foot-5 guard, is transferring to play his final two seasons for the Lopes.Įllis drew plenty of attention in the NCAA transfer portal after ending the season by making 14 of 28 3-pointers and averaging 12.3 points in his final six games. Imagine how a full season at Grand Canyon with a rocking GCU Arena will feel after that. ![]() COVID-19 prompted the Patriot League to limit members to conference-only play with no fans, but Ellis' Bucknell team even had a stoppage within that to finish with the nation's fourth-lowest game total. Walter Ellis worked out on and off the court for nearly 10 months to play basketball again. ![]()
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