Alex "Boo" Ellis (February 11, 1936 – May 6, 2010) was an American professional basketball player for the

Minneapolis Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers franchise has a long and storied history, predating the formation of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Founded in 1947, the Lakers are one of the NBA's most famous and successful franchises. As of summer 2012, t ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

(NBA). Ellis played in the league for just the and seasons and averaged 5.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Ellis grew up in

Hamilton, Ohio Hamilton is a city in and the county seat of Butler County, Ohio, United States. Located north of Cincinnati, Hamilton is the second largest city in the Greater Cincinnati area and the 10th largest city in Ohio. The population was 63,399 at ...

and attended Hamilton High School. He led the school to 25–3 record and a 1954 state championship as a

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

, garnering first team all-state and state tournament MVP honors that year. Ellis then went on to play college basketball for

Niagara University Niagara University (NU) is a private Catholic university in the Vincentian tradition in Lewiston in Niagara County, New York. It is run by the Congregation of the Mission and has 3,300 undergraduate students in 50 academic programs. Appro ...

. A , 185 lb. forward/ center, he quickly became a dominant force in both scoring and rebounding. Since the rules back then did not allow

freshmen A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ar ...

to play varsity sports, Ellis had to wait until his

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of Post-secondary school, post-secondary educati ...

year in 1955–56 to suit up officially for the Purple Eagles. In his three seasons, he accumulated 1,656 points and a still-standing school record 1,533 rebounds. In his first season of eligibility, Ellis grabbed a school single season record 485 rebounds, only to break his own record the next two consecutive years with 522 and 526, respectively. During a game against

Kent State Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in Ash ...

in his junior year, he recorded a 31-point, 31-rebound effort. In Ellis' final season, he led NCAA Division I in rebounding and was named the Western New York Athlete of the Year. He also guided the Purple Eagles to two

National Invitation Tournament The National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Played at regional sites and traditionally at Madison Square Garden (Final Four) in New York City ...

(NIT) berths in his three-year career. Following his standout collegiate career, the Minneapolis Lakers selected him as the first pick in the third round (16th overall) in the

1958 NBA draft The 1958 NBA draft was the 12th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 22, 1958, before the 1958–59 season. In this draft, eight NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball pl ...

. After two NBA seasons, Ellis played six seasons in the Continental League and three with the Marcus Haynes Fabulous Magicians, a traveling professional team. In his later life, Ellis worked as a security guard in his hometown of Hamilton. He spent two and a half years of his life living with his daughter in Indianapolis, before succumbing the effects of a heart attack he had suffered two weeks earlier. Ellis died on May 6, 2010 at age 74.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Boo 1936 births 2010 deaths Allentown Jets players Basketball players from Ohio Centers (basketball) Minneapolis Lakers draft picks Minneapolis Lakers players Niagara Purple Eagles men's basketball players Power forwards (basketball) Sportspeople from Hamilton, Ohio Wilkes-Barre Barons players American men's basketball players

See also

References