Ellington Ready to Breakout

Playing in one of the toughest regions in the Northeast, sophomore guard Wayne Ellington was able to pick up some mental notes from players in the Philadelphia area. The 6-foot-4, 190 pound guard from Episcopal Academy in Merion Station, Pennsylvania is the No. 40 player on the Rivals50 for the class of 2006. We caught up with him and got his thoughts about his region as well as his future.

Ellington is a solid combo guard with good creative abilities and his mid range shooting and ball handling have people talking, particularly college coaches and top prospects in the Philly area. Episcopal Academy plays Philly powerhouses Penn Charter, Germantown Academy and Mt. Vernon Prep on a regular basis.

The sophomore averaged 18 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals for Episcopal Academy (22-6). Their season was ended early last week by a tough Penn Charter team, led by Virginia-bound Sean Singletary and future Notre Dame forward Rob Kurz. Ellington said he’s learned some tricks from Singletary along the way.

“We work out together a lot. He’s just a great basketball player and a great athlete. He’s taught me some tricks of the trade,” Ellington said.

Outside the realm of the regular season, the sophomore will suit up for the Tim Thomas Playaz during the AAU season along with his high school teammate Gerald Henderson, Jr., Ryan Ayers, J.R. Inman, Brandon Costner and others. The group will be one of the better teams on the spring and summer tour.

“I think this is going to be my breakout summer,” Ellington said. “We have a great group of guys and coaches are going to want to come see us every game. We all have the chance to blow up and play well in front of time. I can’t wait. I think I’m going to show some people what I’m all about.”

On an individual stage, Ellington said he’s looking forward to the ABCD camp.

“I just want to play well there. It’s such a great event and when you play good, your stock is raised,” he said.

His ‘stock’ is pretty high in the eyes of several high major programs around the country. Ellington gave us his quick thoughts on some of the schools that he is considering.

On Arizona – “I’m very interested in them. I just like them a lot. I really started liking them when Mustafa (Shakur) went there. Plus, Nic Wise is going there. We met at the (AAU) Nationals last summer and we talk about playing together all the time.”

On North Carolina – “Coach (Joe) Halladay came to one of our practices this year. I’m very interested in them. They talk to my coach a lot.”

On Villanova – “I like their coaching staff a lot. They are all young and energetic. That’s appealing.”

On St. Joseph’s – “(Their success this season) is very appealing. In the back of my mind, I’ve thought about being able to go there and do the same thing that their guards are doing.”

Ellington said Florida, Virginia and Wake Forest have also been in the mix this season.

We will be watching Ellington closely this AAU season. Stay tuned to RivalsHoops for continual updates on him and the rest of the class of 2006.