Malik Ellison

Photo by: Alex Mowrey/Pitt Athletics

Photo by: Harry Bloomberg/Pitt Athletics

Photo by: Pete Madia/Pitt Athletics

Photo by: Alex Mowrey/Pitt Athletics

Photo by: Matt Hawley/Pitt Athletics

Position:
Guard
Height:
6-6
Class:
Redshirt Junior
Hometown:
Voorhees, NJ
High School:
Life Center Academy

The Storyline

Named team captain ... vocal leader who is also one of the hardest workers on the team ... gym rat with a high level of professionalism around his approach to the game
An explosive athlete who competes at a high level ... will be key contributor in all facets of the game
Wingspan, toughness and versatility enable him to be a disruptive defensive presence
Well balanced skill set allows him to impact the game in a variety of ways ... can be a high level scoring threat, a facilitator and a lockdown defender
Excels on the break where he has the explosiveness to finish at the rim as well as the craftiness to finish in traffic
One of the most athletic guards in the ACC ... elite athleticism will enable him to be one of the top rebounding guards in the conference
Continues to refine shooting stroke ... at his best when attacking the rim but has also shown the ability to be a threat on the perimeter
Poised for a breakout season ... all-conference caliber player eager to get back out on the floor
Joined the program as a transfer after playing his first two seasons at St. John’s ... sat out the 2017-18 season due to NCAA transfer rules and has two seasons of eligibility remaining
Played in 57 games, making 35 starts, in his two seasons at St. John’s ... scored 419 points (7.4 ppg.) to go along with 166 rebounds (2.9 rpg.) and 146 assists (2.6 apg.)
15 career double-figure scoring games with a pair of 20+ point performances
A Media and Professional Communications major

2017-18

Did not compete due to NCAA transfer rules

2016-17 (St. John’s)

Played in all 33 games and made 26 starts for the Red Storm ... averaged 7.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game
Shot 41.9 percent (83-of-198) from the field, including 34.1 percent (30-of-88) from three-point range
Had a pair of 20-point performances and eight double-figure scoring games ... led the team in assists seven times
Tallied 11 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals against Georgetown (3/8) in the opening game of the BIG EAST Tournament ... went 3-of-7 from the field and 5-of-6 from the foul line in the win
Registered nine points and six rebounds at Creighton (2/28) ... knocked down a pair of three-point field goals
Had 15 points and six rebounds in a road win at Providence (1/25) ... went 6-of-12 from the field
Scored a career-high 23 points to go along with four assists against DePaul (1/23) ... went 7-of-10 from the field, including 5-of-6 from three-point range, and 4-of-4 from the free throw line
Registered 10 points and three assists against No. 3 Villanova (1/14)
Tallied seven points, five rebounds, seven assists and two steals against No. 10 Creighton (1/4)
Collected seven points, six rebounds and a career-high eight assists in 37 minutes at DePaul (1/1)
Recorded seven points, including a late game-tying dunk, in the team’s win over No. 13 Butler (12/29)
Put together an impressive stat line against Syracuse, finishing with 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and no turnovers (12/21) ... went 3-of-5 from three-point range in the win
Set a then career-high with 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting against Penn State (12/18) ... went 5-of-6 from three-point range and added three assists and two steals
Netted 10 points, dished out five assists and grabbed four boards against Cal State Northridge (12/6)
Went 5-for-6 from the floor and tallied 11 points against Bethune-Cookman in the Red Storm’s season opener (11/11)

2015-16 (St. John’s)

Named to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team
Appeared in 24 games, making nine starts ... averaged 7.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and a team-best 2.6 assists per game ... missed eight games early in the season due to injury
Registered six double-digit scoring performances, including a career-high 17 points vs. Creighton (12/31)
Played in all 18 BIG EAST contests ... recorded 7.7 points and 2.7 assists per game in conference play ... shot a team-high 37.9 percent from three-point range in BIG EAST games
Led team in assists seven times, including six-assist performances against Seton Hall (1/27) and DePaul (2/25)
Finished with 10 points and five assists against Marquette (3/9) in the BIG EAST Tournament
Had seven points, two rebounds and five assists vs. Providence (3/5)
Went 9-of-10 from the free throw line and finished with 12 points, four rebounds and six assists at DePaul (2/25)
Scored 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field, including 2-of-3 from three-point range, in a win over DePaul (2/17) ... also had three rebounds and four assists
Recorded 11 points, five assists and two steals at No. 1 Villanova ... went 4-of-6 from the field, including 2-of-3 from three-point range
Had nine points, two rebounds and three assists at Georgetown (2/8)
Recorded nine points and two assists against Marquette (1/24)
Had eight points, six rebounds and three assists at Marquette (1/9)
Went 5-of-7 from the field and 6-of-6 from the foul line en route to a season-high 17 points against Creighton (12/31)
Posted 11 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals against NJIT (12/20)

High School

A 2015 graduate of Life Center Academy in Burlington, N.J., where he played three years for his father Pervis Ellison
A two-year team captain ... averaged 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists as a senior to draw attention from high major programs
Had a breakout performance at the Spalding Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass., scoring a game-high 28 points with four steals to lead Life Center to a 60-54 victory over Orangeville Prep
Member of AAU team We-R1
Rated No. 45 for his position and No. 10 in New Jersey by national recruiting services for the Class of 2015

Personal

Born Aug. 17, 1996 in Washington, D.C.
Son of Pervis and Timi Ellison … has two sisters, Seattle and Aja
Father, Pervis, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings and played for the Washington Bullets, Boston Celtics and Seattle SuperSonics during his NBA career (1989-2000) ... he lettered four years at Louisville and led the Cardinals to a National Championship in 1986 and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four
Mother, Timi, ran track at Maryland
Sister, Aja, is currently a member of the women’s basketball team at Texas A&M ... she was part of Maryland’s run to the 2015 Final Four before transferring for her final year of eligibility
Sister, Seattle, attended Howard where she competed on the University’s track & field program