Pitt basketball head coach Jeff Capel announced that redshirt junior Malik Ellison will be the team’s captain for the 2018-19 season on Tuesday.
Ellison, a 6-foot-7 wing, sat out the 2017-18 season after transferring to Pitt from St. John’s, where he played his first two seasons.
“Malik has done a tremendous job leading our team in the offseason and has earned the honor of being named team captain,” Capel said a press release. “His work ethic is contagious and he has done a great job taking our newcomers under his wing during the first summer session.”
“It is an honor to be named team captain and I am excited about the opportunity to help lead our team,” Ellison said. “We are working hard every day to reestablish a winning culture here at Pitt. We have a great coaching staff and we are all committed to one another. We have a chance to build something special here.”
Ellison was the last Pitt player to announce that he was going to stick with the team following the firing of former coach Kevin Stallings and the hiring of Capel. But after a team-building trip to Washington, D.C. over the weekend, Capel had seen enough to name Ellison his top leader.
“Malik brings energy and excitement to every workout and his voice resonates with his teammates and our staff,” Capel said. “I look forward to watching him continue to grow as a leader in our program.”
Pitt will have just two seniors on the roster, in Jared Wilson-Frame and New Mexico transfer Sidy N’Dir. With two seasons under his belt at St. John’s, Ellison has played in 57 career NCAA games, the most on the roster.
