Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
The Overtime Elite MVP took to the courts on Thursday at Under Armour’s Next Elite 24 event, competing against the best in the nation.
He’s not the fastest. Or the strongest. Or the tallest. Or the most athletic.
But, none of those factors stopped 2025 four-star guard Eli Ellis from winning the Overtime Elite MVP last season as a part of the YNG Dreamerz after averaging 33.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game this past season.
It hasn’t come easy for the 6’1”, 185-pound guard, who has been undersized at guard for much of his career and is more of a scorer than a facilitator, but the intangibles are where Ellis stands out, and that showed up on Thursday during Day 1 of the Under Armour’s Next Elite 24.
Participating in the marquee event that involves 24 of the best high school and international players in the world, Ellis, once again, looked to make his mark, despite facing the physical disadvantages that have worked against him for much of his career.
Playing with a chip on his shoulder, the four-star guard came in looking to impress the bevy of NBA scouts in attendance and proving that he could belong on more of a national level.
“[I wanted to prove that] I can play on this level with a bunch of high level players who have a chance to make the NBA,” Ellis said about his choice to play at the UA Elite 24 this weekend. “Just show them that there’s a chance I could possibly fit my way onto a roster or just show that I’m the type of player that can somewhat play hard, compete and get to the cup.”
I always have a chip on my shoulder. I’m not the most athletic, not the strongest, not the fastest. So I gotta do everything else to help my team win and show that I can play against dudes that are five, six inches taller than me.”
One area where Ellis really showed an affinity for was his feel for the game as a downhill slasher, leveraging his space well to create open looks against bigger defenders in the paint.
How did the 6’1” guard develop that ability which has become a key part of his game inside the arc?
“I developed that from just playing up since I was younger,” Ellis said. “So, since 8th grade I’ve been playing 17U. So, just being able to play against older dudes and get the experience and being around older guys who are also pros, college players has helped me a lot and just improve my game while being smart.”
Ellis hasn’t had the traditional high school experience, having played the last two seasons with Overtime Elite, where he’s developed into a face of the league going up against high-end competition.
Ellis said that unique experience has helped shaped his development.
“It helped me a lot,” Ellis acknowledged. “Just playing against that talent. I played against probably 20 NBA players from OTE, G League, overseas, all those type of guys. So just playing against that type of talent, being on the Thompson twins’ team, just playing against them side by side, learning from them helped me a lot, just in life and basketball. So, without that first year with the City Reapers, I don’t know if I’d have been as far as I have [come].”
Ellis was initially more of a rotational piece in the league during the 2022-23 season when he played alongside Ausar and Amen Thompson, with the experience proving rewarding, as the four-star guard’s production dramatically jumped from 11.6 to 33.4 points per game in just one season.
Now, fueled by that ever-lasting chip on his shoulder, Ellis is looking to repeat his honors from a season ago and win the Overtime Elite MVP again this upcoming season, while also jumping in the recruiting rankings.
“[I want to] be MVP again, play against the highest level, trying to get ranked higher, you know, that’s been a struggle for a while ,which I’ve kind of ignored. But, at the end of the day, you want to see your stuff go up as a competitor. So, just prove that I should deserve to get ranked higher and win a championship and go back-to-back MVP.”
The chances to get ranked higher come from some of the offseason work, such as his performance this weekend at the Under Armour Next Elite 24, where he has the chance to prove himself against that higher level of competition.
But, while a majority of athletes are still working out their futures and next destinations, Ellis has been committed to South Carolina since November of 2023, which has allowed him to purely focus on basketball and improving his game ahead of college.
How has that impacted his approach, if at all?
“It took a lot of weight off my shoulders,” Ellis acknowledged. “It’s not as much pressure anymore. Not just focus on trying to play and play a lot and score on the SEC level. So, that’s like my next goal right now. Just watching film, talking to my coaches, looking at our schemes, teams, all that stuff. Just figure out how I’m going to be able to play as a freshman.”
You know, it’s a struggle right now with the transfer portal. Older guys are coming in, taking spots, so just finding a way to be able to impact the game and play a lot.”
In order to compete at the SEC level, Ellis will need to dominate against his peers, and he’ll get that opportunity on Friday and Saturday with the scrimmage and nationally-televised game at the UA Elite 24.
His thought process going into those events is simple: “Kill.”
“I want to be able to win MVP at the camp. That’s the goal. So tomorrow come in, compete, take over the game, try to score a lot, and try to win it.”
