Tom Keegan: Ellis has much more to give

By Tom Keegan     Jan 5, 2016

Nick Krug
Kansas forward Perry Ellis (34) gets fouled by Oklahoma forward Ryan Spangler (00) on his way to the bucket during the second half, Monday, Jan. 4, 2016 at Allen Fieldhouse.

It’s not often that the word potential is used in discussions of one of the most experienced players in college basketball, but it fits in the case of Kansas University senior Perry Ellis. His first-half scoring binge during Monday’s 109-106, triple-overtime victory over Oklahoma hinted that the best performances of his standout career are on deck.

Ellis looked so confident, so quick, so undeterred by long arms blocking his path to points that it was easy to project multiple 30-point outbursts when needed down the home stretch of his four-year stay at Kansas.

His hot stretch started in the middle of the first half and spanned exactly two-and-a-half minutes of game clock. During that stretch, Ellis scored nine points, snagged two defensive rebounds, had a beautiful assist and stretched KU’s lead from one point to eight. During it, he showcased his quickness, soft shooting touch from close, mid-range and deep, a tight handle, strong footwork and underrated jumping ability.

Three words summed up his flurry: Hard to guard.

The binge started when Ellis buried a guarded 18-footer with 12:24 left in the half, 47:24 left in the game.

Thirty-one seconds later, he threw in a soft hook shot over the long arms of 7-footer Akolda Manyang.

Nineteen seconds later, he swished a three-pointer.

Fifty seconds after that, Ellis busted an ultra-quick spin move in the lane, sucking all the defenders near the basket toward him and leaving Carlton Bragg all alone on the block. Ellis hit him and Bragg hit the shot. Ellis’ final bucket of the outburst came when he rose above the traffic in the lane and hit a mid-range jumper. He showed so much in such little time.

Ellis also played a major role in trimming a nine-point deficit to three midway through the second half, had a pair of big buckets in the final 1:23 of regulation and scored five points in the first overtime, his three-pointer with 1:18 left knotting the score at 86-86.

Ellis’ first double-double of the season and 13th of his career featured 27 points and 13 rebounds. He reached a career high in minutes (53) and field goals attempted (28).

“Heart,” Ellis said, summing up the victory. “All of us together. It was going either way and we just kept fighting.”

Self appreciated how much time Ellis spent near the basket.

“He just missed some shots,” Self said. “But he played great. He played tough, too.”

Expect the missed shots to decrease and the points to increase the rest of the way.

— Tom Keegan appears on The Drive, Sunday nights on WIBW-TV.

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