SACRAMENTO, Calif.- He has beat the odds again.  Former Florida SouthWestern All-American Keon Ellis has once again persevered against the odds, going from an undrafted free agent signee this summer, to making the opening night roster for the Sacramento Kings. He will become the first FSW player to suit up for an NBA regular season game when he takes the floor in the Golden 1 Center against the Portland Trail Blazers Wednesday night. 

 

Ellis was a standout in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and had some bright spots during the four game preseason with the Kings.  Taking on the likes of future Hall of Famers LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook and the Lakers in his debut, Ellis posted a typical +11 plus/minus line in seven minutes of action, contributing on both ends of the floor with three points, an assist, two blocks, and a steal. In the Kings preseason finale once again against the Lakers, Ellis cemented his name onto the roster, scoring 11 points in 10 minutes, going 3-5 from the three point line while again impacting the game on the defensive end with two steals and putting up a +15 line to help Sacramento down the Lakers.  

 

While Ellis' name is now a household name in the basketball community, it wasn't always that way. Originally signing with Gardner-Webb University in high school, FSW Head Coach Eric Murphy saw more than that in the Eustis, Florida native and talked him into coming to Fort Myers to begin his career instead.  Ellis was a reserve on the Bucs' 2019 Suncoast Conference Championship and NJCAA National Tournament Elite Eight squad, but blossomed into an All-American his sophomore season with the Bucs, setting a new program record averaging over 18 points per game while shooting 54% from the field and 40% from the three point line while earning Suncoast Conference Player of the Year honors.  But it wasn't just his play on the offensive end that had Division I coaches flocking to Suncoast Arena to get a glimpse of the 6'5 guard, as Ellis was also arguably the most accomplished defensive player in the history of the FSW program, racking up a program record 114 steals and 56 blocked shots in two seasons.  

 

At the conclusion of his second season with the Bucs, Ellis signed at the University of Alabama where he was a member of a pair of NCAA Tournament squads with the Crimson Tide. He started all 33 games this season as a senior, posting a team best +87 mark which ranked 6th in the SEC, while also leading Alabama in rebounding and steals with 6.1 and 1.9 per game to earn SEC All-Defensive Team honors. He scored in double figures 19 times as a senior, putting up a season high 28 against #5 Kentucky midway through the conference season.

 

When the June NBA Draft came around this summer, Ellis was passed on 58 times which only fueled the former Bucs' guard even further.  Less than an hour after the conclusion of the draft, he signed a two way deal with the Sacramento Kings and again, against the odds, four months later Ellis will become FSW's first NBA player when he suits up for Sac Town against the Portland Trail Blazers on opening night Wednesday.  

 

"We couldn't be more proud of Keon" FSW Head Coach Eric Murphy said.  "Our program is focused on helping develop young men into reaching the peak of their potential with the goal of achieving their dreams and we were successful in being able to be a part of helping Keon do that. Having just started the program six years ago and to have our first player reach the NBA this season is pretty special.  We are so happy and proud of Keon and will continue to support and cheer him on here in Fort Myers." 

 

Ellis' two-way contract with the Kings allows him to play up to 50 regular season games in Sacramento while also giving him the opportunity to suit up and see action for the Kings' G-League team in Stockton.

 

Murphy's 2022-2023 Bucs open the season ranked #2 by the NJCAA when they take the floor for their opener on November 1^st against Florida Coastal Prep.