Gamecock Digest

INTEL: Eli Ellis Talks Overtime Elite, 50 Point Night, & Recruiting 2025 Five-star AJ Dybantsa

2025 South Carolina men's basketball commit Eli Ellis shares his thoughts on going off for 50 points and talks Aj Dybansta and more.

Arvon Bacon

INTEL: Eli Ellis Talks Overtime Elite, 50 Point Night, & Recruiting 2025 Five-star AJ Dybantsa
INTEL: Eli Ellis Talks Overtime Elite, 50 Point Night, & Recruiting 2025 Five-star AJ Dybantsa /

Eli Ellis is no question the most popular player in the Overtime Elite League, and no doubt will be the league's MVP when the season ends. Two nights ago, for the second time this month, Eli scored half of his team's points, putting up 50 points on 54.1 percent shooting.

"They had a game plan that they were going to let me do my thing, they had a little guard on me, and I got going early, so I knew it was going to be a big game," Ellis said after his performance. 

Ironically, in the contest the night before against team Rolling Loud, they did the exact opposite, keying in on Ellis and forcing his teammates to beat them. Against Rolling Loud, the Hickory, NC native struggled to find openings shooting the basketball, scoring a modest 15 points; however, he still led both teams in assists with 8. Eli's younger brother, Isaac Ellis, tallied 20 points in the win over the California team.

Update On Hopes Of Recruiting Aj Dybansta

In the postgame press conference, Ellis updated Gamecock Digest about how the player-to-player recruitment has been going between himself and AJ Dybantsa, the consensus No. 1 overall prospect from the 2025 recruiting class and a target of Lamont Paris and company.

"I'm trying to get [AJ] to come. I saw he just signed a deal with Nike, so hopefully, that's a one-year thing, and he'll be with Under Armor. He's definitely thinking about it for sure, so hopefully, we can get him."

Eli Ellis Talks Benefits Of Playing In Overtime Elite League

"Overtime Elite (OTE) is more NBA pro-style, [while] high schools more like college. The competition is different at the OTE level, but it's really good at the high school level [when] you play high-level games with big crowds," Ellis explained. "Both are really fun, [but] it's a great adjustment. Come over here, work that pro-system, pro-mindset, and pro-lifestyle," he added.

On both the high school level (Moravian Prep) and at OTE, he is coached by his father, Jeremy Ellis. As fans, you can get the back story on the Ellis family by watching their Overtime series "Family Business" on YouTube. After being asked about his favorite thing about playing at OTE, Ellis said,

"I like being able to make an and-one and being able to dap my little brothers after the play. Just having that family mindset."

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Arvon Bacon
ARVON BACON

Arvon Bacon III covers South Carolina athletics at Fan Nation and the College Park Skyhawks (NBA G-League). 

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