University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Photo by: Matt Hawley/Pitt Athletics
Ellison Named Team Captain for 2018-19 Season
6/26/2018 10:19:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Junior Guard Ready to Lead Pitt
PITTSBURGH – Redshirt junior Malik Ellison was named team captain of the Pitt men's basketball team for the 2018-19 season as announced by head coach Jeff Capel Tuesday morning. Ellison sat out last season for the Panthers after transferring in from St. John's following his sophomore season in 2016-17.
"Malik has done a tremendous job leading our team in the offseason and has earned the honor of being named team captain," said Capel. "His work ethic is contagious and he has done a great job taking our newcomers under his wing during the first summer session. Malik brings energy and excitement to every workout and his voice resonates with his teammates and our staff. I look forward to watching him continue to grow as a leader in our program."
Ellison averaged 7.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while playing in 57 games (35 starts) over his first two seasons at St. John's. The Voorhees, N.J., native averaged 7.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game as a sophomore for the Red Storm in 2016-17. He shot 42 percent from the field, including 34 percent from three-point range, while posting eight double-figure scoring games, including a pair of 20-point efforts.
"It is an honor to be named team captain and I am excited about the opportunity to help lead our team. We are working hard every day to reestablish a winning culture here at Pitt. We have a great coaching staff and we are all committed to one another. We have a chance to build something special here."
Pitt returns five players who started 13 or more games a year ago, including leading scorer Jared Wilson-Frame (13.0 ppg., 74 3FG). Junior Kene Chukwuka (2.5 ppg., 2.7 rpg.) along with sophomores Terrell Brown (4.4 ppg., 3.4 rpg.), Khameron Davis (4.0 ppg., 2.8 rpg.) and Shamiel Stevenson (8.5 ppg., 4.4 rpg.) will look to make significant jumps in their play after gaining valuable game experience last season.
Capel and his staff also bring in a recruiting class ranked sixth in the ACC and 35th in the country. AAU teammates Trey McGowens and Au'Diese Toney are ranked among the top 120 players in the class, while Xavier Johnson is one of the top guard prospects out of the Washington, D.C. area.
The Panthers non-conference schedule has not been finalized for the upcoming season but Pitt will once again have an impressive ACC home slate with Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Louisville, NC State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Syracuse and Virginia Tech coming to the Petersen Events Center. A complete schedule featuring dates, times and TV designations will be released at a later date.
In early April, Pitt announced season ticket price restructuring for the 2018-19 season that has created reduced pricing in nearly every location of the Petersen Events Center. Season tickets can be purchased by calling the Panthers Ticket Office at 1-800-643-7488 or online at PittsburghPanthers.com/tickets.
Premium Seating options are still available for the 2018-19 season. These seats include some of the best locations in the Petersen Events Center and access to exclusive clubs. Additional information on Premium Seating can be found online at http://pittsburghpanthers.com/sports/2018/3/21/mens-basketball-premium-seating.aspx.
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"Malik has done a tremendous job leading our team in the offseason and has earned the honor of being named team captain," said Capel. "His work ethic is contagious and he has done a great job taking our newcomers under his wing during the first summer session. Malik brings energy and excitement to every workout and his voice resonates with his teammates and our staff. I look forward to watching him continue to grow as a leader in our program."
Ellison averaged 7.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while playing in 57 games (35 starts) over his first two seasons at St. John's. The Voorhees, N.J., native averaged 7.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game as a sophomore for the Red Storm in 2016-17. He shot 42 percent from the field, including 34 percent from three-point range, while posting eight double-figure scoring games, including a pair of 20-point efforts.
"It is an honor to be named team captain and I am excited about the opportunity to help lead our team. We are working hard every day to reestablish a winning culture here at Pitt. We have a great coaching staff and we are all committed to one another. We have a chance to build something special here."
Pitt returns five players who started 13 or more games a year ago, including leading scorer Jared Wilson-Frame (13.0 ppg., 74 3FG). Junior Kene Chukwuka (2.5 ppg., 2.7 rpg.) along with sophomores Terrell Brown (4.4 ppg., 3.4 rpg.), Khameron Davis (4.0 ppg., 2.8 rpg.) and Shamiel Stevenson (8.5 ppg., 4.4 rpg.) will look to make significant jumps in their play after gaining valuable game experience last season.
Capel and his staff also bring in a recruiting class ranked sixth in the ACC and 35th in the country. AAU teammates Trey McGowens and Au'Diese Toney are ranked among the top 120 players in the class, while Xavier Johnson is one of the top guard prospects out of the Washington, D.C. area.
The Panthers non-conference schedule has not been finalized for the upcoming season but Pitt will once again have an impressive ACC home slate with Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Louisville, NC State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Syracuse and Virginia Tech coming to the Petersen Events Center. A complete schedule featuring dates, times and TV designations will be released at a later date.
In early April, Pitt announced season ticket price restructuring for the 2018-19 season that has created reduced pricing in nearly every location of the Petersen Events Center. Season tickets can be purchased by calling the Panthers Ticket Office at 1-800-643-7488 or online at PittsburghPanthers.com/tickets.
Premium Seating options are still available for the 2018-19 season. These seats include some of the best locations in the Petersen Events Center and access to exclusive clubs. Additional information on Premium Seating can be found online at http://pittsburghpanthers.com/sports/2018/3/21/mens-basketball-premium-seating.aspx.
#H2P l Twitter l Instagram
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