South Carolina's Eli Ellis included among nation's top freshmen

South Carolina basketball is 2-0 to start the season, and freshman Eli Ellis has been one of the reasons why.

Thanks to the strong start, ESPN’s Paul Biancardi, the worldwide leader’s recruiting director and NBA Draft analyst, included Ellis on his list of the country’s top first-year players. It was not a ranking, but Ellis was one of 14 freshmen on Biancardi’s list.

The inclusion is easy to understand.

The Insiders Forum: Discuss South Carolina basketball!

In his debut against NC A&T, Ellis had 11 points on 50% shooting, and he led USC with five assists. Then, against Southern Miss, the young guard scored 20 (including 3-for-6 from outside) and led the team with seven rebounds.

He’s performed extremely well, both as one of the primary offensive engines on the team (along with Meechie Johnson and Mike Sharavjamts) and as a heart and hustle player who hasn’t been afraid to battle against bigger and more athletic players for rebounds and loose balls. In two home contests, Ellis has gotten the Colonial Life Arena crowd going with his stellar 3-point shooting, clutch free throws, and one instance in which he refused to let go of the basketball in a tussle with 7-foot Southern Miss center Tegra Izay.

Demonstrating head coach Lamont Paris’ and his team’s trust in Ellis, the freshman guard was the player who received the inbound pass late in overtime against Southern Miss when the Gamecocks needed free throws to seal the game. Confidently, he stepped to the line and swished them both.

Adding to the intrigue of Biancardi’s freshman rankings is the fact that ESPN was the lowest of the major recruiting services on Ellis’ status as a prospect. On3, Rivals, and 247Sports all ranked him as a top-84 overall recruit in the class of 2025. ESPN left him out of the top 100.

Contrasting with Biancardi’s preseason expectations for Ellis, On3’s Jamie Shaw included Ellis among his under-the-radar freshmen who could make a big impact in their first year of campus.

Become part of The Insiders Forum with GamecockCentral. Start for $1 your first week, and get a complimentary year of The Athletic included with your membership.

Because of his large social media presence and his success at Overtime Elite, Ellis has a lot of fans. He also has a lot of doubters.

During South Carolina’s preseason exhibition against NC State in Greensboro, North Carolina, the Wolfpack-heavy crowd rained boos down on Ellis. Though a native of the Tar Heel State, they heckled him throughout. They even yelled at him about how college basketball “isn’t TikTok.” Ellis finished the game leading all scorers with 23 points on 7-for-10 shooting.

After the exhibition, he acknowledged that he hears the outside noise but that he’s out to prove the naysayers wrong. “I think a lot of eyes are on me just to be able to [see me] fail,” he said. “But to have that first good game, it shows that OTE, college–no matter what level–I can show up and perform and be a guy who helps the team win.”

Ellis will have another chance to continue winning over his doubters on Wednesday. South Carolina will host the in-state Presbyterian Blue Hose at Colonial Life Arena at 7:00 p.m. The game will not be on traditional television, but SEC Network+ will stream the on-court action.

The Insiders Forum: Discuss South Carolina basketball!