USC Basketball: Second-Year Guard Reveals How Close He Was to Entering NBA Draft

He thought he had his mind made up!

Your USC Trojans are garnering more and more hype as their 2023-2024 season looms closer and preseason betting odds and outlooks are showing them a ton of love. Their entire roster has something to prove, with newcomers wanting to show they're ready for the challenges that come with college basketball and returners wanting to bounce back from an early tournament exit last year.

And few Trojans coming into the new season represent the program quite like Boogie Ellis does. Ellis has seen it all ever since he was one of the best and most popular high school hoopers years ago. He found his way to USC after two seasons at Memphis and even though he was the focal point of the offense last year and displayed enough to enter the 2023 Draft, he decided to run it back in So Cal with his final year of eligibility.

Most people in his position would have recognized the opportunity before them and took it... and Ellis opened up about just how close he was to doing so.

If the point guard's job is to "paint the picture," Isaiah Collier is a true artist.

Ep. 2 ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/8RzhGwLjQf

— USC Men's Basketball (@USC_Hoops) July 12, 2023

"When the season was over, I definitely had my mind made up," said Ellis. "I thought that I wasn't gonna come back, I was going to enter the NBA Draft."

(Via USC Hoops)

However, it's clear just how much Ellis loves performing in front of all the Trojans fans at the Galen Center. He transformed into a more complete player and leader over these past two years and even though some may question whether waiting an entire other year before going pro was the right move, Ellis trusts the coaching staff to develop him.

Ellis will be able to defer to incoming freshman guards Isaiah Collier and Bronny James and I think he envisions a nice March Madness run to kick off his final collegiate campaign.