Cody Ellis
Cody Gordon Ellis is an Australian professional basketball player for the Warwick Senators of the State Basketball League competing in the West Coast Classic. After four years of college basketball for Saint Louis University, Ellis had a five-year stint in the NBL with the Sydney Kings and Illawarra Hawks.
Early life
Ellis was born and raised in Perth, Western Australia. In 2008 and 2009, he attended the Australian Institute of Sport and played for the program's SEABL team. He was also a member of the Under 19 Australian Emus team that finished fourth at the 2009 FIBA Under-19 World Championship.College career
As a freshman at Saint Louis in 2009–10, Ellis played in 22 games and made 19 starts. He missed the first 14 games of the season before being cleared by the NCAA and joined the team in January 2010. He averaged 10.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, and finished third on the team with 39 three-pointers. He subsequently earned Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team honours.As a sophomore in 2010–11, Ellis played in 21 games for the Billikens and drew four starts, but suffered a dislocated shoulder against Xavier on February 5 that ended his season. Over 21 games, he averaged 6.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
As a junior in 2011–12, Ellis finished third on the team in scoring with 10.1 points in what was his first full season. He led the team with 69 three-pointers made, which tied for the eighth most in a single season at SLU. He was a key sixth man for the Billikens, appearing in every game and coming off the bench in all but one.
As a senior in 2012–13, Ellis earned Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year honours. He appeared in all 35 games off the bench, averaging 10.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He led the team with 62 three-point field goals and was seventh in the A-10 with a.829 free-throw percentage.
Ellis ended his career at SLU as one of 27 1,000-point scorers in school history, and ranked sixth all-time at SLU in three-pointers made and fourth in attempts.
Professional career
NBL
Sydney Kings (2013–2015)
On 13 July 2013, Ellis signed a two-year deal with the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League. However, his arrival in Sydney was delayed until December 2013 while he completed his studies in business at Saint Louis. He made his debut for the Kings on 3 January 2014 against the Cairns Taipans, and in 16 games during the 2013–14 NBL season, Ellis averaged 5.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.On 25 March 2014, the Kings took up the second-year option on Ellis two-year contract, re-signing him for the 2014–15 season. He scored a career-high 18 points on 17 January 2015 in an 80–76 loss to the Cairns Taipans. He appeared in all 28 games for the Kings in 2014–15, averaging 6.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
Illawarra Hawks (2015–2018)
On 10 August 2015, Ellis signed with the Illawarra Hawks for the 2015–16 NBL season. On 17 January 2016, exactly one year after setting a career high with the Kings, he again had an 18-point game, this time in the Hawks' 103–96 double overtime win over the New Zealand Breakers. In 29 games for the Hawks in 2015–16, Ellis averaged 6.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.On 20 April 2016, Ellis re-signed with the Hawks on a two-year deal. He helped the Hawks reach the 2017 NBL Grand Final, where they faced the Perth Wildcats. In game one of the series, Ellis scored a team- and season-high 12 points in an 89–77 loss. The Hawks went on to lose the best-of-five series in three games. Ellis appeared in all 34 games for the Hawks in 2016–17, averaging 4.6 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.
Ellis had been expected to have a breakout season in 2016–17 following his promising 2015–16 season. Struggling with lingering back soreness and frustrated with his inconsistent play, Ellis dedicated himself to a winter of work; changing his diet and training his way into shape. He worked hard during the off-season in Perth, and upon returning to Wollongong to report for pre-season in August 2017, he had shed eight kilos from his 2016–17 playing weight. However, a bout of chicken pox kept him out of the NBL pre-season blitz. Ellis started the 2017–18 season out of the rotation after management at the Hawks sent down the edict to the coaching staff that he wasn't to play. Eventually he hit the floor and finished the season strongly. In 20 games for the Hawks in 2017–18, he averaged 6.7 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.
In September 2018, Ellis joined the Cairns Taipans as a pre-season injury replacement for Lucas Walker.
SBL
Stirling/Warwick Senators (2014–present)
On 31 March 2014, Ellis signed with the Stirling Senators for the rest of the 2014 State Basketball League season. During the season, he recorded eight double-doubles and had 12 games where he scored over 20 points. On June 14, he had a season-best game with 32 points and 15 rebounds in a 106–84 loss to the Geraldton Buccaneers. The Senators finished in fifth place with a 16–10 record. In the quarter-finals, they were defeated 2–1 by the fourth-seeded Lakeside Lightning. In 21 games for the Senators in 2014, he averaged 22.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.On 11 February 2015, Ellis re-signed with the Senators for the 2015 season. In the team's season opener on March 14, Ellis recorded career highs of 34 points and 17 rebounds in an 84–72 win over the Perth Redbacks. He took time away from the team mid-season to be with family. Upon returning, he bested his career high mark twice, first scoring 35 points against the Mandurah Magic on June 27, and then scoring 38 points against the Rockingham Flames on July 4. The Senators missed the finals in 2015 with a tenth-place finish and a 10–16 record. In 20 games for the Senators in 2015, he averaged 25.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.
On 20 January 2016, Ellis re-signed with the Senators for the 2016 season. He earned Player of the Week honours for Round 11. On July 2, he scored a season-high 41 points in a 102–98 loss to the East Perth Eagles. He helped the Senators finish the regular season in sixth place with a 17–9 record, before being swept 2–0 in the quarter-finals by the Willetton Tigers. Ellis appeared in all 28 games for the Senators in 2016, averaging 23.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.
In March 2017, Ellis re-joined the Senators for the 2017 season. On April 21, he scored a season-high 28 points against the Willetton Tigers. He helped the Senators finish the regular season in sixth place with a 15–11 record, before being defeated 2–1 in the quarter-finals by the Geraldton Buccaneers. Ellis appeared in 28 out of the team's 29 games in 2017, averaging 17.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.
In March 2018, Ellis re-joined the Senators for the 2018 season. On May 20, he scored a season-high 32 points against the South West Slammers. He helped the Senators finish the regular season in sixth place with a 14–12 record. They went on to lose to the Joondalup Wolves in the semi-finals. In 27 games, he averaged 14.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.
Ellis returned to the Senators for the 2019 season. He scored a season-high 24 points on March 30 against the Goldfields Giants. He helped the Senators finish the regular season in sixth place with a 16–10 record. They went on to lose to the Geraldton Buccaneers in the quarter-finals. In 29 games, he averaged 13.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
Due the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 SBL season was cancelled. Ellis later joined the Senators in July 2020 for the West Coast Classic.