Cody Ellis

Early life

Ellis grew up in Perth, Western Australia before moving to Canberra in 2008 to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). In 2008 and 2009, he played for the program's basketball team in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL). He was also a member of the Under 19 Australian Emus team that finished fourth at the 2009 FIBA Under-19 World Championship in Auckland.

College career

As a freshman at Saint Louis in 2009–10, Ellis played in 22 games and made 19 starts. He missed the first 14 games of the season before being cleared by the NCAA and joined the team in January 2010. He averaged 10.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, and finished third on the team with 39 three-pointers. He subsequently earned Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team honours.

As a sophomore in 2010–11, Ellis played in 21 games for the Billikens and drew four starts, but suffered a dislocated shoulder against Xavier on February 5 that ended his season. Over 21 games, he averaged 6.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.

As a junior in 2011–12, Ellis finished third on the team in scoring with 10.1 points in what was his first full season. He led the team with 69 three-pointers made, which tied for the eighth most in a single season at SLU. He was a key sixth man for the Billikens, appearing in every game (34) and coming off the bench in all but one.

As a senior in 2012–13, Ellis earned Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year honours. He appeared in all 35 games off the bench, averaging 10.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He led the team with 62 three-point field goals and was seventh in the A-10 with a .829 free-throw percentage.

Ellis ended his career at SLU as one of 27 1,000-point scorers (1,062) in school history, and ranked sixth all-time at SLU in three-pointers made (194) and fourth in attempts (580).

Sydney Kings (2013–2015)

On 13 July 2013, Ellis signed a two-year deal with the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League. However, his arrival in Sydney had to wait until he had completed his studies in business at Saint Louis. He joined the Kings in December 2013 and made his debut for the team on 3 January 2014 against the Cairns Taipans. In just his second game for the Kings, on January 12, he scored a season-high 13 points in a 102–89 win over the Adelaide 36ers. On February 8, he recorded a career-high 11 rebounds in a 98–96 win over the New Zealand Breakers. The Kings finished the 2013–14 season in sixth place on the ladder, missing the playoffs with a 12–16 record. In 16 games, Ellis averaged 5.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.

On 25 March 2014, the Kings took up the option of Ellis' second year of his two-year contract, re-signing him for the 2014–15 season. Ellis was an important piece off the bench for the Kings in 2014–15, as he scored in double figures in seven games, including a career-high 18 points on 17 January 2015 in an 80–76 loss to the Cairns Taipans. The Kings had a dismal season in Ellis' second year, finishing second last on the ladder with a 9–19 record. Ellis appeared in all 28 games for the Kings in 2014–15, averaging 6.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.

In 44 games for the Kings over two seasons, Ellis averaged 6.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.

Illawarra Hawks (2015–present)

On 10 August 2015, Ellis signed with the Illawarra Hawks for the 2015–16 NBL season, moving south to Wollongong to play for former Perth Wildcats coach Rob Beveridge. On 17 January 2016, exactly one year after setting a career high with the Kings, he again had an 18-point game, this time in the Hawks' 103–96 double overtime win over the New Zealand Breakers in Auckland. He helped the Hawks finish the regular season in third place with a 17–11 record, booking themselves a semi-final clash with the second-seeded Perth Wildcats. After losing Game 1 in Perth, the Hawks took Game 2 at home to save the series, but went on to lose the deciding Game 3 in Perth, bowing out of the playoffs with a 2–1 defeat. In 29 games for the Hawks in 2015–16, Ellis averaged 6.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.

On 20 April 2016, Ellis re-signed with the Hawks on a two-year deal. He helped the Hawks finish the 2016–17 regular season in fourth place with a 15–13 record. The Hawks went on to defeat the first-seeded Adelaide 36ers in the semi-finals to move on to the 2017 NBL Grand Final, where they faced the Perth Wildcats. In Game 1 of the Grand Final series, Ellis scored a team- and season-high 12 points in an 89–77 loss. The Hawks went on to lose the best-of-five series 3–0. Ellis appeared in all 34 games for the Hawks in 2016–17, averaging 4.6 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.

Ellis had been expected to have a breakout season in 2016–17 following his promising 2015–16 season. Struggling with lingering back soreness and frustrated with his inconsistent play, Ellis dedicated himself to a winter of work; changing his diet and training his way into shape. He worked hard during the off-season in Perth, and upon returning to Wollongong to report for pre-season in August 2017, he had shed eight kilos from his 2016–17 playing weight.

Stirling Senators (2014–2017)

On 31 March 2014, Ellis signed with the Stirling Senators for the rest of the 2014 State Basketball League season. During the season, he recorded eight double-doubles and had 12 games where he scored over 20 points. On June 14, he had a season-best game with 32 points and 15 rebounds in a 106–84 loss to the Geraldton Buccaneers. The Senators finished with a 16–10 record, good for fifth place on the ladder. In the quarter-finals, they were defeated 2–1 by the fourth-seeded Lakeside Lightning. In 21 games for the Senators in 2014, he averaged 22.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.

On 11 February 2015, Ellis re-signed with the Senators for the 2015 season. In the team's season opener on March 14, Ellis recorded career highs of 34 points and 17 rebounds in an 84–72 win over the Perth Redbacks. After averaging 23.9 points and 9.2 rebounds over the first nine games of the season, on April 30, Ellis was temporarily replaced in the line-up by Jordan Wild. Ellis returned to the Senators line-up in early June and played out the rest of the season. He went on to top his career high mark twice, first scoring 35 points against the Mandurah Magic on June 27, and then scoring 38 points against the Rockingham Flames on July 4. However, despite Ellis' great individual season, the Senators missed the playoffs with a 10–16 record and a 10th-place finish. In 20 games for the Senators in 2015, he averaged 25.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.

On 20 January 2016, Ellis re-signed with the Senators for the 2016 season. On April 17, he was named in the Team of the Week for Round 5 after scoring 29 points against the Perth Redbacks on April 16. On May 28, he recorded 28 points and 11 rebounds against the South West Slammers. He subsequently earned Team of the Week and Player of the Week honours for Round 11. On July 2, he scored a season-high 41 points in a 102–98 loss to the East Perth Eagles. He helped the Senators finish the regular season in sixth place on the ladder with a 17–9 record, but in their quarter-final match-up with the Willetton Tigers, they were swept 2–0. Ellis appeared in all 28 games for the Senators in 2016, averaging 23.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

In March 2017, Ellis re-joined the Senators for the 2017 season. On April 21, he scored a season-high 28 points against the Willetton Tigers. He helped the Senators finish the regular season in sixth place on the ladder with a 15–11 record, but in their quarter-final match-up with the Geraldton Buccaneers, they were defeated 2–1. Ellis appeared in 28 out of the team's 29 games in 2017, averaging SBL career lows with 17.0 points and 5.6 rebounds, as well as 3.3 assists per game.

National team career

In June 2013, Ellis was selected in the Australian squad for the Stanković Cup in China and the Universiade in Russia, where he won gold and silver respectively.

Personal

Ellis is the son of retired Perth Wildcats legend, Mike Ellis. Ellis and his wife, Lauren, have one child, a son named Chase.