Wichita Heights senior Perry Ellis announced on Wednesday that he will be a Kansas Jayhawk next fall. Ellis made the announcement during a press conference in the Wichita Heights gym.
"I felt so comfortable there," Ellis said of his decision to choose the Jayhawks. "I've been there so many times...that was the school."
The recruitment of Ellis started early in his prep career, and the 6'8 220lb. power forward has played in front of just about every big-name college coach in the country.
"It was a fun experience," Ellis said of the recruiting process. With that said, he was ready to move on and focus on his upcoming senior season.
Despite four schools being in the running, it appears as though Kansas was the clear front-runner throughout the process.
"It's been on my mind for a while now. It wasn't just a pop-up type thing," Ellis said. "I wanted to do it today because I was ready."
Ellis started out with a list of schools that included Duke, Memphis, Oklahoma, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky & Wichita State. Ellis later cut the list to his final four of Kansas, K-State, Kentucky & Wichita State. All four of those schools recently did an in-home visit with the Ellis family.
Although staying even closer to home wouldn't have been an issue according to Ellis, Lawrence seemed like the perfect fit.
"It's far enough away to feel away but it's close enough that I could come back anytime," he said. "I wanted my family to come to some of my games, so it's the right location."
The ability to work with Kansas legend and current assistant coach Danny Manning was also a strong selling point for the Jayhawks.
"You see what he does with his players, for example the (Morris) twins," Ellis said. "They came in and he improved them. It's going to be great. He's only going to make me better."
Ellis, considered a 5-star recruit, is the three-time defending Player of the Year in Kansas and a member of the three-time defending state champion team in 6A, something that's never been done before.
For Kansas, Ellis is the second player from the Class of 2012 to commit to the Jayhawks, joining Zach Peters, a 6'9 power forward from Plano, Texas.
