Arkansas guard El Ellis ready to play for winner after languishing in Louisville
El Ellis took a few weeks to get used to things at Arkansas.
Ellis, a 6-foot-3 graduate transfer, was the best player – by a healthy margin – on a bad Cardinals team last year. Louisville went just 4-28 on the season, achieving the worst record in modern school history. Ellis did his part, though, averaging 17.7 points per game along with 4.4 assists.
At Arkansas, that experience will be a boon. The Razorbacks lost guards Anthony Black, Nick Smith Jr. and swingmen Ricky Council and Jordan Walsh. Council, Black and Smith were the team’s three leading scorers. Ellis was brought in to fill those shoes.
“El has been traditionally a scoring guard who has played the point,” Musselman said. “We’re going to want him to continue to score but also be a little bit more of a facilitator than maybe what he was able to show last year.”
That’s a bit like the role Devo Davis has played most of the last couple years. With Davis’ always-stunning defense and newly-developed 3-point ability combined with Ellis’ scoring mentality, Arkansas should be just fine on the perimeter in 2023-24, even with the losses.
Ellis’ leadership will only help, too.
“El Ellis was really quiet. Did his own, was doing what he should do as an individual,” Musselman said. “I don’t know if I’ve seen a player change so quickly in his leadership, his verbal command of the floor. Been really cool to see in a short period of time.”
