Pitt lands St. John’s transfer Malik Ellison
St. John’s transfer Malik Ellison told ESPN he will play for Kevin Stallings at Pittsburgh.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) May 3, 2017
Pitt has landed Saint John’s transfer Malik Ellison, as tweeted by Jeff Goodman of ESPN. Ellison will have to sit this upcoming season, and will have two years of eligibility to play for Kevin Stallings and the Panthers beginning in 2018-19.
Ellison started 26 games last season for Chris Mullin at St. John’s. He averaged 7.4 points per game, along with 3.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists per contest. The junior to be stands in at 6’6” 215 and originally hails from New Jersey. He is the son of former NBA player Pervis Ellison.
Coming out of high school, Ellison was a three-star recruit and chose St. John’s over the likes of Pitt, Maryland, Xavier, and Temple among others. He played for Life Center Academy for his father. Here are a few clips of his from back then.
Ellison has played two years at St. John’s in the Big East, with two very similar seasons. He averages less than 25 minutes a game, and scores around 7 points per game. He is not a big time three-point shooter, but he can make them when needed, as he shot 34% this past season.
Pitt needs starters and role players alike. They need to rebuild a roster from the top to the bottom, and it appears that Ellison is a good piece. He received interest from Virginia and Harvard in addition to Pitt during the transfer process. Is he going to be a breakout player in 2018, or continue as a secondary scorer like he was for the Red Storm? That remains to be seen.
