Men's Basketball Signee to be Featured in Sports Illustrated

Feb. 29, 2012

LAWRENCE, Kan. – University of Kansas men’s basketball 2012 signee Perry Ellis has been chosen by Sports Illustrated to be included in its “Faces in the Crowd” in the current issue that came out today, Feb. 29.

“Faces in the Crowd” has been published every week in Sports Illustrated since 1956. The March 3rd issue first arrives in subscribers’ mailboxes and hits newsstands on Wednesday, Feb. 29.

The section focuses on current high school athletes who excel on and off the court.

Ellis, from Wichita (Kan.) Heights High School, has a long list of accolades, including McDonald’s All-American in 2011-12. With a 4.0 grade point average, the 6-8, 220-pound Rivals.com five-star recruit is the three-time Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year heading into his senior season. Last year, Ellis guided Wichita Heights to its second-straight undefeated season and its third-straight 6A state championship. The Falcons, under head coach Joe Auer, will be vying for their fourth consecutive state title in the largest class in the state in 2011-12. Ellis led Kansas Players AAU team, based in Wichita and coached by Steve Young, to several high finishes in major AAU events this past summer.

He signed his letter of intent on Nov. 9, 2011 to play his college basketball at KU. Ellis passed former KU center Greg Dreiling as the all-time leading scorer in Wichita City League history earlier this season. Dreiling’s record stood for 31 years at 1,888 career points. Through 20 games this season, he is averaging 25.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game as he leads his team into the postseason.

Ranked No. 24 overall by Rivals.com, Ellis averaged 22.1 points and 7.9 rebounds his junior season at Wichita Heights. As a freshman, he averaged 19.2 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists, while the following year he averaged 22.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per contest.