Eli Ellis: Three Thoughts on the Latest South Carolina Commitment

Lamont Paris got his man on Wednesday as four-star guard Eli Ellis committed to South Carolina. Ellis is the second commitment of the 2025 class for the Gamecocks, joining three-star forward Hayden Assemian.

Ellis is just the sixth member of the 2025 On3 Industry Ranking to commit to a school. This commitment for South Carolina comes after a two-man 2024 class that included a pair of three stars in forward Okku Federicko and wing Trent Noah.

Let’s talk about what South Carolina is getting in Eli Ellis.

Who is Eli Ellis?

Eli Ellis is the No. 99 overall prospect in the 2025 On3 Industry Ranking and the No. 17 point guard in the 2025 On3 150. Ultimately, Ellis chose South Carolina out of a final list that also included VCU, Mississippi State, and the College of Charleston.

“I’m an electric scorer,” Ellis told On3. “I can get to the rim, I get my teammates involved. I play hard, I play scrappy, and I talk a lot of trash. That is kind of my game right there.”

What does he bring to South Carolina?

You will see the skill set, but what he brings to the table is unwavering confidence. Eli Ellis wants the ball in the biggest of situations, and he has the feeling that he will be able to get the job done no matter what is at hand.

Ellis has deep range on his jump shot, and that is what his game plays off of. He is capable of pulling up from 30-35 feet, in game, and defenses have the press on him to respect that. Ellis is a confident ball handler in the half-court, he is able to attack bad footwork and off-balanced defenders to get to his spots.

Ellis plays with great balance. He is able to pull up the second he feels he has an opening to shoot. Ellis has a repeatable load and a consistent release with his shot. Throughout his career, he will continue to have questions about his size and athleticism. And those have been questions he has had throughout his career.

While the defensive questions will need to be addressed, Ellis brings a toughness to the table as well as an understanding of footwork and angles. Ellis is a bonafide top-100 prospect, he has played varsity basketball since the sixth grade and has continued to produce numbers each step of the way.

How does Ellis fit into the lineup?

This is a little tougher to pinpoint as Eli Ellis will still have two years of high school basketball before enrolling in Columbia. With that said, the 2024 class brings in a 6-foot-9 forward in Okku Federiko and a 6-foot-6 wing in Trent Noah. Joining Ellis so far in 2025 is 6-foot-6 forward Hayden Assemian. All of these pieces look to fit together on paper.

As for the role Ellis will play, look torward a similar player archetype as current South Carolina guard Meechie Johnson. While this is certainly not a one-to-one comparison, their styles are similar.

Ellis talks South Carolina

“My visit to South Carolina was great,” Ellis said. “I went to the football, and it was electric, great energy. The crowd was unbelievable. I love the staff, I really think they’re just great people. They believed in me early and have been talking with me for a while.

“They do feed the post, but you know, they also shoot a lot of threes. We went to watch them play against Virginia Tech in Charlotte, and they shot a lot of threes. It was really fun to watch.”