USC Basketball: Boogie Ellis' Draft Prospects Take Major Hit

The ex-Trojan is hoping to go pro this summer.

Mar 13, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans guard Boogie Ellis (5). / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Longtime former USC Trojans point guard Boogie Ellis, expected to be an early second round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, received some massive shade from the league this week.

The 6-foot-2 San Diego product was passed over for an invitation to this year's Draft Combine in Chicago, set for May 12-19. 78 players, including former Ellis teammates Isaiah Collier (a onetime lottery candidate still seen as a first rounder) and Bronny James (Ellis and Collier's backup, who was quite raw), have gotten the call, per NBA Communications.

The fact James got an invite and not Ellis is extremely strange.

Ellis, a two-time All-Pac-12 honoree while with the Cardinal and Gold (he also played for two seasons in Memphis before transferring, where he was once honored as an AAC Sixth Man of the Year), averaged 16.5 points on .427/.418/.720 shooting splits, 3.5 rebounds, three assists, and 1.4 steals a night. He's gotten dinged on draft boards for his relatively slight size.

James, meanwhile, struggled mightily with his offense, averaging 4.8 points on a .366/.267/.676 slash line, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.8 steals per bout. He was considered to be a solid passer and defense-first guard while in high school at Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth, but he wasn't the athletic behemoth he had been in prep school at the next level.

More USC: Isaiah Collier Earns Major Pre-Draft Invite