Ellis enters his fourth season as the Head Coach for the Bucs in 2023-2024 and his eighth season overall. 

In his three seasons as the head man, the Bucs have won their fourth and fifth straight Conference Championships and Ellis was named the Southern Conference Coach of the Year in 2021 & 2022.  He recruited and coached Jayla Murray and Patience Williams who were the back to back Southern Conference Players of the Year and both All-Americans as freshmen. In his three seasons as Head Coach, Ellis has had 10 NCAA Division I signees including a program record four off of last year's team.  

With Ellis on the sideline as an assistant, the Bucs have went 100-28, winning three straight Suncoast Conference Championships and earning back to back berths to the NJCAA National Tournament. As the recruiting coordinator for the Bucs, Ellis brought in 19 All-Conference players in four seasons including 12 first team selections.  Ten players signed to continue playing at the NCAA Division I level during Ellis’ tenure as the Bucs assistant while 19 players signed scholarships to further their careers after FSW. 

Ellis has a wealth of head coaching experience in Southern Florida, serving as the lead man for Southwest Miami, Immokalee, and Island Coast at the high school level as well as the Florida Vision at the club level, and was the Associate Head Men’s Coach at Miami Dade College from 1989-1992. 

Ellis, a full-time mathematics professor at FGCU, received his undergraduate degree from LSU, his master’s degree from Nova Southeastern and his PhD from Barry University. He is married to Marlene, who is a teacher in Lee County Public Schools. They have two daughters, both of whom were basketball stars in their own right.  Lindsay is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State University while Leanne is a graduate of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and is now an Aerospace and Occupational Specialist in Las Vegas, Nevada.  

As FSW Head Coach: