Pound-for-pound one of the toughest and most competitive kids in camp, the 6-foot-1 Ellis continued what’s been a highly impressive Summer. A sneaky athlete with good upper body strength and his head on a swivel, Ellis made the guys around him better, while also being efficient as a scorer himself.

A natural floor general, Jake Ellis Jake Ellis 6'1" | PG/CG St. Mary | 2028 State NJ possesses a unique ability to control the rhythm of a game through his decision making, ball control, and overall strong command of the offense. Ellis is expected to shoulder an even larger workload offensively heading into the winter and offered extremely encouraging glimpses of what his impact is set to look like, particularly in his ability to pick apart the defense— playing with excellent feel, picking his spots and scoring when necessary as well as setting up his teammates with timely passes for quality looks. Aggressive in being an overall decisive playmaker, Ellis’ versatile scoring package saw him get in the lane off the bounce and be evasive finishing in traffic from different angles around the basket while mixing in some patented stop on a dime mid range pull ups and some in rhythm perimeter shot making off the catch. Keeping his vision when getting deep in the paint, Ellis made a lot of strong reads as a distributor— locating outside shooters in the half court, rewarding well timed off ball cutters, and even throwing accurate lob passes to lane runners in transition.

A lead guard who possesses an innate ability to impact the game as an overall decisive playmaker capable of controlling the pace and tempo of a game coupled with some impressive ball skills, Jake Ellis Jake Ellis 6'1" | PG/CG St. Mary | 2028 State NJ ‘ performances over the final July live period ultimately reflected his high level understanding of the game and his ability to make smart, dependable decisions under pressure. Savvy in his scoring approach, Ellis converted on looks from multiple different areas on the floor— pull ups off the bounce in the mid range area and all the way out on the perimeter, putting pressure on the rim in transition for tough in traffic finishes, and even half court rim pressure whether it was rejecting ball screens or attacking straight line driving angles for strong finishes at the basket.

Facing a 10-point deficit in the closing minutes of the 16U semifinals, Ellis went into the phone booth and came out with his Superman cape, steering a valiant comeback that culminated with his game-tying pullup 3 followed immediately by a steal and winning layup. Ellis would carry his steely competitiveness and robust skillset into the championship, helping the Beasts to emerge as the 16U circuit champions. The lead guard was a load to handle both in transition and the halfcourt, showing outstanding polish to his on-ball skill level along with growing confidence and efficiency as a pullup shooter from long range. In addition, the elevated stakes served as a platform to showcase Ellis’ sheer toughness and competitive will to win. He surely made fans among the handful of D1 coaches in the crowd.

Ellis showcased his ability to fill it up offensively and proved he can heat up in a hurry whenever the ball is in his hands. He scored at all three levels, knocking down shots from beyond the arc while also attacking the paint with confidence to create quality looks for himself. Beyond his scoring, Ellis displayed good court vision, consistently finding teammates in different spots on the floor and creating scoring opportunities with his passing. His all-around offensive skill set makes him a difficult matchup, as he can impact the game as both a scorer and facilitator. After earning a division two offer from Caldwell earlier in the week, Ellis appears to be gaining momentum on the recruiting trail. With his continued development and offensive versatility, he should see a significant uptick in his recruitment over the next year.

Jake Ellis Jake Ellis 6'1" | PG/CG St. Mary | 2028 State NJ provided a nice scoring pop to open up things for St. Mary— particularly with in rhythm spot up shooting, attacking driving angles off the bounce in the flow of the offense. All while keeping the defense honest and looking to create for others, maintaining his court vision on dribble drives and hitting timely and precise passes to his open teammates.

Routinely tasked with leading the offense as the primary ball handler for this 16U NJ Beasts group, Jake Ellis Jake Ellis 6'1" | PG/CG St. Mary | 2028 State NJ consistently demonstrates a strong balance between facilitating for teammates and creating scoring opportunities for himself, ultimately exemplifying his strong feel for the game as a sound and reliable decision maker. With the ball in his hands, Ellis applies constant pressure on opposing defenses— timely scoring for smooth perimeter pull ups out of ball screens, tough finishing in transition, converting on open looks as a spot up shooter. All while also displaying impressive command in PnR scenarios, making patient, decisive reads and utilizing his court vision to create opportunities for others, whether finding bigs inside or delivering accurate drive-and-kick passes to perimeter shooters.

More often than not tasked with orchestrating the offense as the primary ball handler for this 16U NJ Beasts squad, Jake Ellis Jake Ellis 6'1" | PG/CG St. Mary | 2028 State NJ consistently strikes an effective balance between facilitating for others and creating his own offense opportunities arise. With the ball in his hands, Ellis routinely puts pressure on opposing defenses—showcasing poise against defensive pressure along with a strong ability to control tempo and make sound decisions. Ellis has demonstrated a strong command of the offense as a facilitator— making patient and decisive reads in PnR situations and utilizing his court vision to create opportunities for teammates finding bigs down low and out of drive and kick opportunities to open shooters out on the perimeter. Ellis provides timely scoring by getting to his spots and converting difficult mid range pull ups with soft touch and balanced footwork, while also using his quick change of pace off the dribble to attack downhill and finish craftily in the paint. Defensively, despite his size limitations, Ellis proved disruptive by anticipating passing lanes, forcing turnovers, and turning defensive plays into transition offense.

Ellis’ production and steady and dependable play make him the type of point guard that next level schools are in due time bound to have interest in.

Proving to possess an excellent feel for the game as a potent table setting floor general,  Jake Ellis Jake Ellis 6'1" | PG/CG St. Mary | 2028 State NJ  continues to emerge as an effective and reliable facilitator, consistently putting pressure on the defense with the ball in his hands as an overall playmaker while maintaining composure against defensive pressure and dictating the pace with smart decision making. Ellis’ confident handle and strong court awareness stood out throughout, particularly in PnR action— hitting rollers on time diving to the basket and spraying out to open shooters for in rhythm looks out on the perimeter. Still remaining a scoring threat, Ellis delivered timely offense by finishing in traffic at the rim using poised step throughs while playing off two feet. All while also providing spot up shooting off the ball.

With a strong command of the offense, Jake Ellis Jake Ellis 6'1" | PG/CG St. Mary | 2028 State NJ proved to be an impactful facilitator— consistently applying pressure with the ball in his hands, showing poise against defensive intensity while controlling tempo and making smart decisions highlighted by a strong and confident handle and sound feel for the game. Remaining a threat to score, Ellis provided timely scoring by getting to his spots and converting smooth mid range pull ups with soft touch and solid footwork, while also using a quick change of pace to get downhill and finish with craftiness around the basket.