Apr. 8, 2019. Tre Jones announces he’s returning to Duke for his sophomore season, stepping back into the starting point guard role that then-Blue Devil commit Boogie Ellis was once destined to fill.
Less than a month later, Ellis decommitted from Duke, opting instead to play point guard for Penny Hardaway at Memphis. He earned AAC Sixth Man of the Year honors in his second season and led the Tigers to an NIT title.
But Ellis wanted to start. He knew he could start.
Ellis has never been shy about that desire. He spoke openly about how Jones’ return affected his decision to decommit from Duke, and Ellis made it clear he wanted to be a floor general at his new school.
“I’m just looking for the best opportunity to play point guard,” Ellis said at the time of his decommitment. “Everybody in the country knows I can score the ball. It’s about if I can run a team and get people open.”
That pursuit led Ellis to Grind City, where he joined up with James Wiseman and Precious Achiuwa to form the nation’s best recruiting class in 2019. But things didn’t quite go according to plan.
Wiseman played in just three games. Though the coronavirus shut down the tournament, Memphis was likely missing out anyway. The following season, Ellis only started in around half of Memphis’ games — a far cry from his lead guard dreams.
Boogie wanted to be a starting point guard, and he wanted to do it wearing Kobes. (More on that later).
That’s when USC came knocking — for the second time.
“It was an easy recruitment for us,” head coach Andy Enfield said. “We already knew the family and they knew us. I thought it was a great fit all-around for him and for us.”
The fit seemed too perfect. Ellis was on the same official visit as Onyeka Okongwu and future teammate Isaiah Mobley. USC has a growing contingent in the NBA, one that has become much more prominent in the years since that official visit.
More importantly, Tahj Eaddy’s departure had left USC with a massive hole at point guard, a role practically begging to be filled by someone as talented as Ellis. Enfield and Ellis discussed all of the above and more on a Zoom call shortly after he entered the portal last May.
USC was the first major school to offer Boogie, but now the program was ready to grant the guard from San Diego everything he wanted.
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Nov. 9, 2021. Just down the street from “The House that Kobe Built” and wearing the shoes that bear his idol’s name, Boogie Ellis is introduced as USC’s starting point guard.
Brandishing his new white Kobe 5 “Big Stage” editions, Ellis drops 20 points on 9-for-11 from the field. After a steal and transition layup, Ellis blew a kiss to his new home crowd, one that now regularly includes his family.
Ellis’ journey has been as much about proving himself as it has taking care of his family. His family was featured prominently in his original Duke photoshoot, and they were his primary consultant when he chose to reopen his recruitment.
The Kobes have come to represent that connection — a point of commonality between his relentless quest for both personal and familial success.
“I just love Kobes,” Ellis said after a practice last week. He also told me the collection was growing, having recently picked up three or four more pairs of Kobes. One of those — a pair of Challenge Red Kobe 6s — has recently entered Ellis’ extensive on-court shoe rotation.
As much as Boogie loves his Kobes, he is also admittedly superstitious when it comes to his footwear, which is why the junior guard keeps so many on hand. If he has a bad game, he said he “won’t touch” that shoe again for a bit.
The cycle of give and take has swelled the rotation to six different pairs – a list that includes sets of Kobes, Kyries and even KDs. However, the ups and downs always bring him back to the Kobes, as those same tribulations have ushered him back to Southern California.
“My favorite shoe to play in is the Kobes,” Boogie told me. “I feel like I play the best in the Kobes.”
But he didn’t need to tell me that for me to know it was true.
There’s a quantifiable confidence about Ellis every time he laces up one of those pairs of Kobes. In three-quarters of his Kobe games, Ellis has put up at least 10 shots, averaging nearly 16 points a game, more than three points clear of his nightly average. (A more detailed breakdown of Ellis’ performance in each shoe can be found here.)
Sure, it would make sense that his scoring would increase with his shooting output, but here’s the kicker: So does everything else.
Ellis is shooting 46% from the field and 38% from deep — both marked improvements on his season averages — in games when he takes 10 or more shots. In those same games, Boogie is also averaging nearly three assists, four rebounds and a steal – all better than his marks this year as well.
USC is two wins better when Ellis reaches double-digit shot attempts, perhaps the most ringing endorsement of his increased offensive workload.
Ellis knows just how talented he is, and he also knows that — for him — it’s all mental. His focus this season has been on staying aggressive and consistent in everything he does, allowing his skills to shine through.
“My biggest thing is it’s not about skills,” Ellis said. “It’s all mental, just being consistent defensively, offensively and overall. That’s going to allow me — no matter what — to take my game to the next level.”
That consistent aggressiveness has manifested itself on the floor through the Kobes on Ellis’ feet. For him, they represent the process that brought him back home and a connection with his lifelong dreams.
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Feb. 12, 2022. No. 21 USC welcomes No. 12 UCLA to Galen Center in what is undoubtedly the biggest game of the junior *point* guard’s career, a stage Ellis’ track record affirms he’ll thrive on.
Ellis dropped 36 points on rival and San Diego prep sports giant Torrey Pines in his senior year of high school, he poured in 27 points in a two-point loss to No. 7 Houston in the AAC Tournament semis last season and his 23 points carried Memphis to the 2021 NIT Championship.
Consistent aggressiveness — it’s what has landed Boogie underneath the bright lights of the Crosstown Showdown and a sold out Galen Center crowd, ready to rise to the occasion once again.
“I just play with a passion,” he said. “I love to compete. No matter what, when I use my energy, I’m my best self.”
If Ellis takes the floor in either those White “Big Stage” 5s or the Challenge Red 6s, expect a Boogie bursting with that energy. A Boogie in touch with himself and his journey. A Boogie confident in the brilliance of his game, ready to prove why you should be too.