South Carolina basketball commitment has huge weekend on hardwood

South Carolina basketball commitment Isaac Ellis has been a good player for some time. However, a strong start to his senior season with Moravian Prep at Overtime Elite has shown something a little more. Always a strong defender and a capable offensive piece, Ellis has come into his own as an engine for his YNG Dreamerz squad.

His older brother, Gamecock freshman Eli Ellis, handled much of the offensive load in years past. Now, with big brother in garnet and black, Isaac has impressed through four games as the lead guard.

The 6-1 combo guard is averaging 28 points, 10.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.5 steals per game. Just this weekend, he went off for 35.5 points, 10.5 assists, and 7.0 rebounds over two games.

With numbers like that, it comes as no surprise that Ellis and the YNG Dreamerz are undefeated. The offense has scored at least 103 points in all four games. As the team’s point guard, Ellis, by himself, has more assists than the entire team has turnovers.

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South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris and his staff represent one of just two power conference offers for Ellis. Even so, the Gamecocks are high on his chances of being a good player at the next level.

Isaac shares some similarities with his brother (competitiveness, work ethic, ballhandling, and outside shooting ability) but plays a different style of game. He is a more natural distributor and is a better defender at this stage.

Ellis often sets up his teammates for easy scoring opportunities. He uses a crafty handle and strong ambidexterity to get wherever he needs to on the floor. He takes care of the basketball and is very willing to give up a decent shot for himself so that a teammate can take a better one.

Defensively, Ellis is a pest. He is really good on the ball, utilizing his basketball IQ, high motor, and quick hands to make life difficult for opposing guards, even ones who are bigger and more athletic. He has performed very well on that end of the floor during his OTE career. In fact, Ellis was a finalist for the 2024-2025 OTE Defensive Player of the Year award.

Ellis has been committed to the Gamecocks since this summer. According to the Rivals Industry Rankings–a weighted composite of the three major recruiting services–he is the No. 326 overall prospect in the class of 2026. He is No. 13 nationally among combo guards (there are 63 point guards and 70 shooting guards ahead of him, too). Ellis is also No. 13, regardless of position, from North Carolina. Those numbers are negatively affected by 247Sports and ESPN having no ranking available for him.

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