Grant Ellis, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound combo guard from Hudson Catholic, is headed to Iona.
Ellis picked the Gaels over Manhattan. He also had interest from Florida International, Siena and George Washington.
“I felt like the offense was the right fit for me,” Ellis told SNY.tv by text. “The way they run their offense and how good they are going to be in the future. They are a fast up and down transition team. And that’s the way I play.”
Nick Mariniello, in his second year at burgeoning North Jersey powerhouse Hudson Catholic, thinks Ellis can help Tim Cluess’ team going forward.
“Grant is a high level athlete who has improved his skill set over the past months,” Mariniello said. “Iona gets a player with a bigtime upside. He is a good student, qualified and now that the commitment is behind him he can concentrate and enjoy his senior season continuing to work hard to maximize his potential.
“It is also very gratifying for the program because he is the first scholarship student athlete to commit in my two and a half year tenure.”
Ellis is the second guard to pick Iona this weekend, following point JUCO point guard DaShawn Gomez of Antelope (Calif:) College.
(Photo courtesy Hudson County Varsity)