South Carolina Basketball: Big-time 4-star guard announcing commitment on Wednesday

South Carolina basketball coach Lamont Paris has his squad sitting at 3-0 for the first time since 2019 when Frank Martin still had a competitive team in Columbia. The Gamecocks have beaten USC-Upstate, Virginia Tech, and VMI, and they will play again on Friday against DePaul.

However, Coach Paris and company are hoping that the South Carolina basketball program can pick up another win even before they take the court again on Friday.

On Tuesday, through a graphic made by On3’s Joe Tipton, class of 2025 4-star point guard Eli Ellis revealed the final five schools in his recruitment and that he would be announcing his public commitment on Wednesday evening.

Ellis has a final group of South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Mississippi State, VCU, and College of Charleston. He is a consensus 4-star prospect and is rated inside the top-100 players nationally by On3, 247Sports, and Rivals.

Ellis, a social media phenom who also happens to be really good at basketball, is a 6’1″ guard from Hickory, North Carolina. He can play either guard spot, and he excels as a ballhandler. His outside shot is very good, and he can finish at the basket despite his lack of elite athleticism and length. Ellis has a very aggressive offensive game, and his confidence is through the roof.

Ellis also has a younger brother named Isaac who has started to draw some recruiting buzz. Isaac Ellis is a guard in the class of 2026.

The Gamecocks already have one player committed in the class of 2025 as in-state 4-star forward Hayden Assemian pledged his services to Coach Paris’ program back in September. Assemian and Ellis were on a visit to Columbia at the same time shortly before Assemian made his commitment.

If Eli Ellis winds up picking the Gamecocks, it could be a big day for South Carolina basketball on Wednesday as #2 national prospect Joyce Edwards is expected to pick Dawn Staley’s Gamecock team when she announces her college choice on Wednesday, as well. Edwards’ announcement is set to take place at 5:45, while Ellis’ live announcement will be at 7:30.

You can watch some of his film here.