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'15 WBB OK F Makenzie Ellis (Signed to Colorado)

BeBe

Club Member
Per twitter from AllStarGirlsReport:
[tweet]481105096982294529[/tweet]

Here's what some others have to say about her:
(From Fullcourt.com): "She handles and shoots the ball well enough to be a two and can shoot from anywhere. Some players have the green light, but it’s blinking for her because at times she was simply automatic -- and I’m talking about from everywhere on the floor. With her wingspan and excellent timing, she blocked several shots with ease."

(From ProspectsNation, 3/16/14): "Ellis has improved considerably since our staff saw her last summer at the USA Basketball national team trials last May. The 6-foot-2 power forward is versatile and willing to do all of the things needed for her team to win the ball game. In an individual showcase setting, Ellis’ play was both consistent and inspired. A three-star prospect, she set the table for a potential fourth star with a quality club season with Cy-Fair. Ellis has already chosen Texas Christian and if this evaluation is any indication of what is to come, coach Jeff Mittie has plenty of reason to be excited about Ellis coming on board in Fort Worth." (My take ... she verballed early to TCU but when HC Mittie and his staff left for KState, she re-opened her recruiting, although I have not seen that confirmed anywhere)

(From GirlzPrepReport) : "Makenzie Ellis-6-1 forward-Booker T Washington HS-Tulsa OK-First impressions can be great especially when they leave lasting impressions. Ellis can stretch the defense with her range and also showed she could attack from the winds. Simply put, she knows how to score many ways"

Another point to note is that she plays on the same club team as Kennedy Leonard, another 2015 WBB verbal.
 
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That 4th star should come, with no problem, as she showcases with Cy Fair Elite this summer. I don't think she really has had any elite club exposure up until this spring.

She was at camp this past week with Kennedy Leonard and even posted a pic with KL, Bri Watts and Haley Smith on Twitter, so I am guessing that Ken gets an assist here. She sounds quite excited about her choice and I think she will make an outstanding Buff. The fact that she came all the way from Tulsa to play club ball with that Cy Fair bunch should tell you she has some real skills because that team is loaded once again this year.

This class is really looking great for the Buffs with 4 really D1 ready players with high level club ball experience. Of course it will look even better when they are signed!!
 
Welcome.

Fwiw I checked out a recruiting profile and it had her previously committed to TCU
 
She did commit to TCU but withdrew it when the former coach left and Raegan Pebley took over. It's fitting that Coach Lappe was able to snatch on from Raegan since TCU just grabbed Mikayla Chrisitian from Round Rock, TX, who was on the Buff's radar, the previous week.

http://instagram.com/p/pmyCpin9Qr/#
 
It seems that Lappe & Co. have put together perhaps their best class yet. All four are versatile and talented. One poster on an OU board wrote that Ellis is a more athletic version of OU great Caton Hill. I would guess that CU is done with this class although they still may have a scholarship available.
 
MarkW said:
It seems that Lappe & Co. have put together perhaps their best class yet. All four are versatile and talented. One poster on an OU board wrote that Ellis is a more athletic version of OU great Caton Hill. I would guess that CU is done with this class although they still may have a scholarship available.
Click to expand...

Lappe and Tad seem to have extremely similar management and coaching styles. Both have built the foundation and are now pursuing those top tier athletes. Lappe has a bit more history and tradition to work with than Tad does so that definitely helps. Love what I am seeing in the building of both teams.
 
Love the photo on Instagram and thank you Kennedy Leonard!!!!

Welcome to the Buff family. Can not wait to see you play.

Yes, this does look like the best recruiting class Lappe has put together.
 
"Makenzie Ellis blew me away at the Cy Fair Invitational, oh yeah, I'm still feeling the breeze as she can score from outside, rebound, run the floor and finish and this is part of the reason why they haven't lost a game since, well a long time"

"Makenzie Ellis-6-1 forward-Booker T Washington HS-Tulsa OK-First impressions can be great especially when they leave lasting impressions. Ellis can stretch the defense with her range and also showed she could attack from the winds. Simply put, she knows how to score many ways"

- From Girlz Prep Report which covers recruitment of players on Texas club teams.

BTW, I don't think Makenzie starts for her club team - the Cy-Fair Shock - (Kennedy Leonard does) but they are one of the best club teams in the country.

Very brief video clip: http://www.highschoolcube.com/highlight/brilliant-move-by-cy-fair-shoc-176816

You can watch the entire game as well. Makenzie comes off the bench, Kennedy starts.
 
I'm more confused than ever about the services ranking WBB recruits, but the current incarnation of HoopGurlz added Ellis to their Elite 100 at #98. They're unaware that she changed her commitment, but hey.
 
Ellis's hometown paper in Tulsa has finally taken note of her commitment to CU.

Interesting, given that she's 6'2":

Ellis has played close to the basket for much of her high school career. But she said that she will be looking to work more from the perimeter this season, anticipating a role as a shooting guard or small forward at the next level.
Click to expand...
 
jeb said:
Ellis's hometown paper in Tulsa has finally taken note of her commitment to CU.

Interesting, given that she's 6'2":
Click to expand...

Not too big of a surprise. Linda and Tad trade a lot of notes and play similar systems. If you're playing man defense instead of zone, you need players who can handle a switch well enough to guard all 5 positions. Seems like both programs are taking that to the next level and are trying to become pretty much position-less. Maybe one true big and then the other 4 players become largely interchangeable on both ends.

This seems to be where things are heading in basketball as we see the rise of point forwards and bigs being better when facing up than with their backs to the basket. In short, it's a move to playing 5 LeBrons at once instead of trying to find a Kareem, a Malone, a Bernard King, a Curry and a Stockton. Having 5 LeBrons gives so much more flexibility.
 
Agreed, and I think it's great if Ellis is working on her skills at the wing. But there will likely only be one player taller than her on the roster when she arrives, and somebody needs to be a post after Jen, Jamee and Arielle are gone. I had assumed Ellis would be more of a 4 with a motor, rather than a 2/3 with length. I buy into the theory that there's not a big difference, but it does change what you practice every day under the current system.
 
Makenzie has played on the wing for her club team as well, which probably has more to do with her development as a player than anything that happens in HS due to the amount of time spent with the club team. She seemed to have some solid wing skills from the video I watched of her a month or so ago.

Buffnik's point about LL looking for players who are very versatile is interesting. If you look at the future of the team the only key distinctions may be point guard (to some degree) and the post. But otherwise there are a lot of players that can play multiple roles. Even the current team has that to some extent in players like Jamee Swan, Haley Smith and Jen Reese and Jasmine Sborov. It will be interesting to see what LL has to say about the group she signs in a couple of weeks in terms of their skills.
 
[tweet]532549426330763264[/tweet]


Welcome to Ms. Ellis- now officially signed as a future Buff!
 
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Love seeing all these smiling faces. Do they know about all the hard work ahead of them?
 
I'd read this a while ago, but neglected to post. She was a player I thought might earn some early playing time next season. Let's hope she has a complete recovery and is able to participate in practice come August - if not over the summer.

She was a teammate of Kennedy Leonard's in AAU ball last summer and earned some solid praise by several scouts.
 
Great to hear it sounds like Ms. Ellis's recovery has been going well.

[tweet]583365791208325120[/tweet]
 
As with 2 of the 3 other recruits so far, cubuffs.com has today released a video (~2 minutes) of Ms. Ellis performing in high school (Assume from junior year due to her knee injury before senior year)-

[tweet]588020327990566913[/tweet]

As well as an article listing some of her accomplishments-

[tweet]588022949183148033[/tweet]
 
Obviously the highlights are from the previous season, but she looks to have a multitude of talents offensively. She moves better on the perimeter than most players her height (6-2) and seems to have good range as well as the ability to score underneath. It's great to read she can practice 100% now. My assumption is she'll be in Boulder in June and working with the training staff as well as with the coaches in preparation for the '15-'16 season.

I would guess she will play the 3 or 4 at CU, but would have trouble guarding quick players at the 2.
 
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