Mike Ellis (basketball)

Mike Ellis (born 27 July 1958) is an Australian former professional basketball player who captained the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL) for the club's first 11 seasons, and helped guide them to two championships in 1990 and 1991. Ellis' No. 6 jersey was retired by both the Wildcats and his junior association, the Stirling Senators.

Career

Ellis began playing for the Stirling Basketball Association in 1974 and was a member of the club's first premiership team the following year. In the early 1980s, Ellis averaged over 30 points per game for five consecutive seasons and throughout his NBL career with the Perth Wildcats, he continued to play with the Stirling Senators.^[1] Ellis played his entire NBL career with the Wildcats, beginning with the club in their inaugural season in 1982 as the Westate Wildcats and captained the side until 1992. In 302 career games for the Wildcats, Ellis averaged 12.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game.^[2]

In 1993, Ellis joined the Swan City Mustangs of the State Basketball League (SBL) where he teamed up with his brothers, Glenn and Brett. He continued on with the Mustangs in 1994, and over two seasons with the club, he averaged 13.8 points in 42 games. In 1995, Ellis returned to his beloved Stirling Senators, and after a further three seasons in the SBL, Ellis finally hung up the boots and turned his attention to coaching.^[3] Following his retirement, Ellis continued to be a key figure in the life of the club, contributing on every level from coaching junior and SBL teams to playing key leadership roles.^[1]

In addition to his various roles with the Senators, Ellis continued to contribute with the Perth Wildcats as general manager, assistant coach and head coach.^[4][5] However, his role as head coach lasted just one season, in 2003–04, before being replaced by Scott Fisher.

On 4 February 2013, Ellis was named in the Perth Wildcats 30th Anniversary All-Star team.^[6][7]

On 9 September 2015, Ellis was appointed the Stirling Senators' High Performance Director and men's SBL team head coach.^[8] After missing the playoffs altogether in 2015, Ellis elevated the Senators men to title contenders in 2016.^[9]

Personal

Ellis' father, Gordon, coached him at the Perth Wildcats in 1983. Gordon died four years later.^[10] Two of Ellis' brothers, Glenn and Brett, also played for the Perth Wildcats. Both of them also played in the SBL for the Swan City Mustangs and Stirling Senators. Ellis also has a third brother, Stephen, and has a wife named Robyn. Ellis and his wife have two sons, Cody and Skyler.^[11]

References