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Malik Ellison: ‘Pitt is a Great Oportunity’

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The Pitt basketball program received some great news on Wednesday afternoon when 6-foot-6 inch St. John’s University graduate transfer guard Malik Ellison called Kevin Stallings and committed to the Panthers. He primarily chose the Panthers over Virginia and Harvard. Ellison is the son of former NBA player Pervis Ellison. He will have to sit out one year then have two years of eligibility.

“I’m excited about my decision. I chose Pitt for the university as a whole. Obviously, the school is great, great campus, great people, everything,” said Ellison. “They really made my decision easier because of the family atmosphere that they provided for me even on my visit. It’s simply a great opportunity for myself.”

Ellison is a large, versatile guard. His versatility will have him playing a number of positions on the court.

“Coach Stallings told me I would pretty much be all over the place, one to three really. Just basically just being a leader. That’s the main thing, being a leader really just leading by example and running the team.”

Ellison’s best friend, Darien Williams, a 6-foot-8 235 lb. power forward, transferred from St. John’s at the same time. He’s primarily looking at Pitt, Nevada, Connecticut, Washington State and Mississippi State. Pitt’s coaching staff has expressed interested in the rugged forward and he’s in the process of setting up a visit. “He hasn’t set anything up but he’s considering Pitt, as well, so that’s a good thing,” said Ellison.

Ellison chose Pitt for a fresh start and elevated role in Stalling’s system.

“Really Coach Stallings said he would utilize me way more than I was (at St. John’s). He was just talking about how the way his offense is ran. There’s a lot of motion. There’s a lot of wide open shots that you get. I’m actually a pretty good shooter so he was just talking about that, that I’ll have a lot easier looks. Obviously I have to learn the system but he has a lot of confidence in my game. He feels I could really flourish in his system.”

Sandy Schall, Coldwell Banker
 
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