Gillispie Inks All-State Illinois Guard
May 20, 2004 | Men's Basketball
May 20, 2004
Jamarcus Ellis of Chicago has signed a national letter-of-intent to play college basketball at Texas A&M, Aggies coach Billy Gillispie said Thursday.
A 6-foot-5, 185-pound guard/forward from Westinghouse Vocational High School, Ellis is rated by Chicago Hoops as the No. 2 prospect in Illinois behind Shaun Livingston, who recently declared for the NBA draft. Ellis averaged 20 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks and 3 steals per game as a senior, earning first-team all-state and all-city honors.
"We are really excited to have Jamarcus join our program," Gillispie said. "He was one of the top players in the country still available. Jamarcus is an unbelievable athlete and a very versatile player. He's my kind of guy because he's so tough. Coach (Lance) Irvin did a great job of recruiting him. When I was at Illinois, we thought he was the best freshman and sophomore in the state. He's also excited to come here and play with (A&M signee) Joseph Jones, who he's known from summer camps."
"We rated Jamarcus as the second-best player and the best defensive guard in the state this year," said recruiting analyst Roy Schmidt of Illinois Prep Bulls-Eye. "He'll be a fine player in the Big 12 because of his athleticism and tremendous scoring ability, but above all else he's a team-oriented player who does whatever it takes to win. The A&M coaches did a tremendous job recruiting him after coming in so late. He's the recruiting steal of the year."
Ellis, tabbed as the best player in the Chicago area by the Chicago Sun-Times, was named the Chicago Public League Player of the Year as a senior after leading his team to the city championship. Ellis led the team to the state title as a sophomore. In April, he scored a team-high 15 points for Team Chicago in a 106-103 loss to Team New York at the Wendy's All-Star Shootout.
"I'm very happy for Jamarcus," Westinghouse coach Quitman Dillard said. "It's a great choice. He will be playing in a great conference and has an opportunity to come in and play right away. I think he'll be a tremendous college player as he matures and hits the weight room. And he'll be in an environment where he can focus on the books as well as play basketball."
Ellis was named to USA North Team at 2003 USA Basketball Men's Youth Development Festival and was widely regarded as the top defensive player in Illinois. He also played the last two summers for the Illinois Fire AAU team.
"Jamarcus will be an excellent college player," Fire coach Mac Irvin said. "He can play several positions, has a good outside shot and can also score inside. But the thing I like most about him is that he just keeps coming at you on defense. He's a hard-nosed player and he just never gets tired."
A left-hander, Ellis averaged 21 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists as a junior, earning all-city honors. He also was recruited by Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas and Wisconsin, among others.
"Ellis is a dazzling all-around talent," said Brian Stinnette of Chicago Hoops. "He does everything on the basketball court: He can penetrate, shoot with range, pass, rebound and defend at a high level, and his passing skills are vastly underrated. He is an elite player offensively and defensively."
Recruiting analyst Dave Telep of The Insiders Hoops rates Ellis as a "legitimate high major" prospect.
"Jamarcus is a jack-of-all-trades guard who has real good size and can play several positions," Telep said. "It's quite an accomplishment for coach Gillispie to get a guy like this so late. Jamarcus is one of the best spring signees in the country this year."
2004 TEXAS A&M BASKETBALL SPRING SIGNEES
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl-Ex. Hometown (High School/College)
Jamarcus Ellis G/F 6-5 185 Fr-Hs Chicago, Ill. (Westinghouse HS)
Edjuan Green F 6-7 230 Jr-Tr Spring, Texas (Spring HS/Temple JC)
Dominique Kirk G 6-3 180 Fr-Hs Dallas, Texas (Bryan Adams HS)
Slade Weishuhn F 6-9 205 Fr-Hs Wall, Texas (Wall HS)
2003 TEXAS A&M BASKETBALL FALL SIGNEES
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl-Ex. Hometown (High School/College)
Joseph Jones F/C 6-9 250 Fr-HS Normangee, Texas (Normangee HS)
Kenneth White G 6-2 190 Fr-HS Dallas, Texas (Molina HS)
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