South Carolina Basketball: Gamecock commitment snubbed from ESPN top-100

South Carolina basketball commitment Eli Ellis has become one of the most dynamic high school scorers in recent memory. The YNG Dreamerz guard can get a bucket from every level as he is a deadeye shooter from outside, can make tough shots with hands in his face, and has no problems finishing in traffic while surrounded by bigger players.

The Overtime Elite MVP (as a junior!!!) had multiple 50-point games this season, and he broke virtually every scoring record in Overtime Elite.

Somehow, that isn't enough for ESPN. The "worldwide leader" released an updated top-100 rankings for the class of 2025, and Eli Ellis was conspicuously not on the list. Four other Overtime Elite players made the top-100, despite Ellis winning the MVP award over all of them.

The future Gamecock is not too happy with ESPN for the snub and even went as far as to say that ESPN recruiting director Paul Biancardi must just not like him very much.

Ellis is right to have beef with the rankings.

He is an knockdown shooter, an elite ballhandler, and a ferocious competitor. He eats, sleeps, and breathes ball, too, meaning that any potential weaknesses in his game receive tons of attention when he trains. In other words, his constant striving to get better should help Ellis erase any potential weaknesses that are within his control.

Some who question Ellis have doubts about his future because of his size. Listed at either 6'0" or 6'1" depending on which outlet one checks, Ellis isn't a big guard by any means, but he makes up for it with tremendous basketball IQ and a relentless motor. Plus, there are three other guards ranked inside the top-100 who are under 6'0" tall, meaning size can't be the reason he is unranked.

Other Ellis detractors don't think he is athletic enough to score as consistently at the next level. For anyone who has paid attention, though, Ellis is a better-than-advertised athlete (especially with his quickness), and he has no problem getting a bucket on other elite players who have more natural athleticism than he does.

Frankly, it doesn't make much sense why Ellis doesn't slot in somewhere inside the top-100, but South Carolina basketball fans have no doubt that he will far better than the 100th-best player in his class by the time all is said and done in these players' college careers.

Ellis' snubbing comes on the heels of ESPN crediting the Southern Cal Trojans (the "other USC") with Cam Scott's commitment and then dropping Scott in the rankings after correcting the mistake.

Eli Ellis is one of two South Carolina basketball commitments in the 2025 recruiting cycle along with forward Hayden Assemian.