« Men’s Basketball 2015-16

Perry Ellis

School
University of Kansas
Position
Forward
Major
sport management (business minor)

Classroom

Perry Ellis is a sport management major and business minor who believes that success in the classroom is just as important as success on the court. The 2014-15 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year started his college career with Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team honors in 2013. Ellis has graced the Athletic Director’s and Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll five times and has continued his academic success by being named as an Academic All-Big 12 selection in both his sophomore and junior seasons. The 2015 Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention honoree currently has a 3.26 grade-point average. His classroom expertise at Kansas is no surprise as he was valedictorian at Wichita Heights High School where he carried a 4.0 grade point average.

Character

During his years at the University of Kansas, Ellis has earned the adoration and respect of his coaches, teammates and fans. The 2015 Danny Manning “Mr. Jayhawk” Award recipient exudes all the qualities and characteristics expected of leader. An All-Big 12 First Team selection as a junior, Ellis is more than basketball. Often the representative when Kansas is in the student-athlete spotlight, Ellis is not only committed to becoming a better basketball player, but also a better person. Ellis is a man of few words, but words aren’t necessary when your actions do the talking. Ellis’ humble and selfless attitude is an endearing example of what success with integrity looks like. Although Ellis has an extensive list of honors and awards attached to his name, he will be the first to admit he is still learning and still growing.

Community

Ellis takes great pride in his community, both in his hometown of Wichita and in Lawrence. In summer 2015, Ellis was selected as an Honorary Hero by the Real Men Real Heroes Organization for his extraordinary contributions to the community. He has spent countless hours visiting local schools and youth centers, such as the Boys and Girls Club, to mentor and offer encouragement to young kids. He spends time volunteering at the Wichita Children’s Home, where both of his parents work. The three-time NABC Good Works Team nominee also devotes one-on-one time with Special Olympics basketball player Tony Parker and is a regular visitor of cancer patients at Via Christi Saint Francis Hospital in Wichita.

Additionally, Ellis contributes to the community as a member of the Kansas men’s basketball team. Each year the Jayhawks host the Wilt Chamberlain Special Olympics Clinic during the heart of conference play. The team also gives approximately 450 women a taste of being a Jayhawk at the annual “Ladies Night Out” event in Allen Fieldhouse, an occasion that creates awareness for breast cancer and benefits Jayhawks for a Cure, the Lawrence Memorial Hospital (LMH) and the KU Cancer Center. Every year, the KU team participates in a holiday shopping trip to Walmart in order to provide items from a wish list for area families through the Salvation Army. Finally, Ellis and his teammates sign more than 1,500 basketballs annually with proceeds going to local charities.

Competition

Ellis will go down as one of the most decorated players in Kansas men’s basketball history. He is on pace to become only the eighth player in KU lore to rank in the top 15 in both the career scoring and rebounding joining the likes of Manning, Lovellete, LaFrentz, Collison, Robisch, Randall and Simien. One of five finalists for the 2015 Karl Malone Power Forward Award, Ellis is a two-time Academic All-Big 12 selection who was an All-Big 12 First Team honoree as a junior and third-team all-league selection as a sophomore. Last season Ellis was a three-time Big 12 Player of the Week choice and has earned the accolade four times in his career. In Nov. 2014, Ellis was named the CBSSports.com National Player of the Week after being named the Orlando Classic Most Valuable Player. Additionally, Ellis was an NABC Division I All-District 8 First Team selection and a Lute Olson All-America Team honoree his junior season.

As a senior, Ellis has garnered many All-American honors in addition to being a consensus All-Big 12 First Team selection. Ellis leads Kansas in scoring (16.6 ppg) and has 12 games of 20-plus points with nine of those against Big 12 competition. He is second on the team in rebounding at 6.0 rpg. Ellis averaged 17.7 points and 5.8 rebounds during Big 12 play. He is one of only two players in the Big 12 to rank in the top nine in scoring (third) and rebounding (ninth).

In the summer of 2015 Ellis started all eight games for team USA at the 2015 World University Games in winning the gold medal. Following the competition he was named to the World University Games second team.

As a freshman Ellis was named to the 2013 Big 12 All-Tournament Team in leading Kansas to the tourney title. As a sophomore in 2013-14, he was named to the all-tournament team at the Battle 4 Atlantis in addition to later being named All-Big 12 Third Team.