Texas Basketball: Former 4-Star G commit following Smart to Marquette
The news cycle seems to never end for the 2021 Texas basketball recruiting class on April 13, as newly hired head coach Chris Beard tries to find some stability early on this offseason. Texas has now lost three commits/signees from their 2021 class in the last month alone. Volatility on the recruiting trail has surely followed the change in coaching regimes in the past few weeks.
Prior to the latest decommitment from the Longhorns 2021 class, four-star Brookfield Central power forward David Joplin and four-star IMG Academy shooting guard Tamar Bates had requested releases from their LOI’s.
The latest to reportedly decommit from the Longhorns 2021 class and take his talents elsewhere is the former four-star Assumption 6-foot-5 and 175 pound combo guard commit Emarion Ellis. Former sixth-year Texas head coach Shaka Smart did a nice job last offseason finding Ellis on the recruiting trail before he really started to fall into the national spotlight.
Marquette has landed former Texas pledge Emarion Ellis, a source told @Stockrisers. Was formerly committed to Shaka Smart prior to his transition to the Golden Eagles. This was expected, but, now official.
— Jake (@jakeweingarten) April 13, 2021
Impact of the Texas basketball recruiting class losing Emarion Ellis
The Davenport, IA native Ellis was one of three commits remaining in the Longhorns 2021 class as of the morning of April 13. After Beard flipped the commitment/signing of the highly coveted four-star John Paul II small forward Jaylon Tyson from Texas Tech last week, Texas looked to be headed back in the right direction with their 2021 class.
However, losing the commitment of Ellis does hurt. But it does sound like this was something that was expected for both Beard and the Longhorns and Smart and the Marquette Golden Eagles.
Ellis will be taking his talents to sign with the Golden Eagles. Back on March 26, Smart was hired to replace Steve Wocjiechowski as Marquette’s next head coach. And it looks like he will be taking a good bit of his 2021 Longhorns recruiting class with him to his home state of Wisconsin.
Texas is losing a twitchy and potent two-way combo guard in Ellis that could’ve been a nice addition to the backcourt rotation as soon as next season. He ranks as the nation’s No. 105 2021 high school prospect, No. 7 combo guard, and No. 2 prospect out of Iowa (247Sports Composite). And the Top247 ranks him as the nation’s No. 103 high school prospect, No. 7 combo guard, and No. 2 prospect out of Iowa.
What’s now left in the Longhorns 2021 class for Beard and his new-look coaching staff are Tyson and three-star Grace Christian School power forward Keeyan Itejere. At this point, Itejere remains as the sole Smart signee for the Longhorns in the 2021 class.
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According to the 247Sports Team Composite Rankings, the 2021 Texas recruiting class now ranks at No. 48 in the nation and in the middle of the pack of the Big 12. Texas is one spot ahead of the Oklahoma Sooners in the National Class Rankings.