With Coach Darrin Horn on the hot seat, the South Carolina Gamecocks men’s basketball team got a bit of good news with Bruce Ellington deciding to stick with basketball.
For the last few weeks, speculation has gone both ways with Ellington and his plans. Today, he confirmed that he’s going to be a basketball player full-time, and won’t be on the football team this coming season.
“Basketball’s always been my first love,” said Ellington in a written statement. “After giving it a lot of thought, this is the decision I’ve made. If you want to be great at something you have to commit to it full-time. I appreciate Coach [Steve] Spurrier for giving me an opportunity to play football at South Carolina. It was a great experience, but right now I want to focus on basketball. I also want to thank all the fans for their support throughout my time in Columbia.”
Ellington emerged as a valuable member of the football team last season as he racked up 707 all purpose yards: 211 receiving, 106 rushing, and 390 on kick returns. That performance helped land him on the SEC’s All-Freshman team.
But with scholly’s tight for the football squad and the depth at wide out in 2012, this was the right move for all parties.
Ellington made the right choice due to his future is brighter in regards to basketball. During the basketball season that just wrapped up, Ellington averaged 11 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. Not saying he will be in the NBA, but he could play overseas and make some money.
Good luck to Bruce and now he can work in the offseason to become a great SEC point guard as he has the talent to do just that.
