Top-40 guard Boogie Ellis commits to Memphis

Memphis found its star lead guard in the form of top-40 guard Boogie Ellis. One of the top seniors available this spring, Ellis committed to the Tigers following his unofficial visit to campus.

Formerly committed to Duke, Ellis asked for his release two weeks ago. After receiving the proper clearances, Ellis saw a number of west coast powers jump into the picture before finalizing his second go around with his recruitment by pledging to Memphis.

The Tigers hosted Ellis in the fall and were among the top suitors for him before he committed to Duke in November. At the time, Ellis was Memphis’ top target in the backcourt, along with Damion Baugh, who later went on to commit to the Tigers himself. Penny Hardaway’s staff then began to invest greater time with five-star guard RJ Hampton in hopes that he would reclassify into the 2019 class, which he did last month, and while they remain involved, their chances have dwarfed in recent weeks, even more so now with the commitment of Ellis.

What the Tigers are getting with the four-star guard is a tough-nosed prospect that can play either guard position. Arguably one of the top shot makers in the 2019 class, Ellis might even be best used off of the ball in smaller lineups thanks to his shooting prowess. On the Nike EYBL circuit last summer, the California native made 66 3-point jumpers at a clip of 46 percent. He posted per-game averages of 17.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

The 6-foot-3 combo guard becomes the Tigers’ latest commitment from 2019. He is joined by Baugh. James Wiseman, DJ Jeffries, Malcolm Dandridge and Lester Quinones. Collectively the group now ranks No. 1 overall in the 2019 team rankings and over the weekend the Tigers also added Little-Rock transfer Rayjon Tucker, a former Rivals150 player.