Center James Ellis leaves Duquesne for Tallahassee CC
James Ellis, who came to Duquesne from Westinghouse in 2018 as a promising 6-foot-11 prospect, transferred to Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College.
Tallahassee coach Zach Settembre welcomed Ellis to his new school Friday on Twitter.
Welcome to the @TCCEagles family, James Ellis! @JamesEllis_1 comes to @TCCeaglesMBB from @DuqMBB and Pittsburgh, PA. 6’11 with a 7’7 wingspan, shotblocker that can really move. Exciting times for ?? nation. Can’t wait to get our guys to campus! pic.twitter.com/iDLasnRXvc
— Zach Settembre (@ZachSettembre) June 25, 2020
Ellis, the Dukes’ first Westinghouse recruit since All-American Chuck Cooper in 1947, sat out the 2018-19 season and played in five games for coach Keith Dambrot in 2019-20. His stat line read four points, three blocks and one rebound.
At Westinghouse, he averaged 21 points, 12 rebounds and 7.6 blocks per game, totaling 1,014 career points.
A first-team Class 3A all-state selection, Ellis was Duquesne’s first player from Pittsburgh’s City League since Schenley’s Jack Higgins, who transferred from Cleveland State in 2004. He was the first player signed out of high school by the Dukes since Perry’s Courtney Wallace (1998-2001).
Tallahassee finished 27-6 last season and earned a berth in the NJCAA Tournament. TCC point guard El Ellis committed to Louisville for the 2021-22 season.
Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
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