GoHeels Exclusive: Ellis Living A Dream With Tar Heels

by Davis Dupree, UNC Athletic Communications

CHAPEL HILL—His grill wasn't broken. But that was the story Caleb Ellis told his parents so he could go home on Aug. 30. Ellis is from Apex, North Carolina, just 30 minutes from Chapel Hill, so going home for dinner didn't seem like too unusual of a request.

But he wasn't just going home for dinner. He had news for his parents, news he needed to tell them in person.

The day started like many others, at a mandatory lift with the Carolina basketball team. Ellis was a member of the North Carolina basketball junior varsity team (the only one among Power-5 schools), and had been working out with the varsity team during the summers to provide an extra body during practices and pickup games.

He was already living out a dream on the JV team, playing games in the Dean E. Smith Center with "North Carolina" across his chest in Carolina blue. He was also being coached by Hubert Davis, a Tar Heel legend and 12-year NBA veteran serving as the JV head coach and assistant to Roy Williams.

Ellis began playing basketball as a kid. His two older brothers, one now 31, the other 29, were always playing and practicing in the driveway, so Ellis would join them. He quickly loved the sport and began playing in Upward church leagues, local rec leagues and continued to work his way up.

He grew up a Carolina basketball fan and attended the Roy Williams basketball camp. His fandom ran so deep he even changed out of his mandatory school uniform at Cary Christian School and into Carolina gear the first chance he got each afternoon. So of course, his dream was to play for them when he was older.

"I've watched Carolina basketball since as young as I can remember," Ellis said. "I've always wanted to be a basketball player here."

Following high school, Ellis attended UNC-Charlotte and took a year away from competitive basketball to focus on his grades. The following year he transferred to Carolina, where he was reunited with his best friend and high school teammate Devin Dukes. The two had been playing basketball together since third grade, calling themselves the "Dynamic Duo" on the playground courts.

The two never thought their basketball career would continue into college, but during the fall of their sophomore year, they both tried out for and made the JV team.

"He is very low key and has always been super humble," Dukes said. "You would never know from the way he talks he was the best on the team."

In high school, Ellis was clearly a star. He routinely scored 15 points in the first quarter before being pulled for the much of the game so he didn't run up the score. In one game, the other team knew a play for an alley-oop to Ellis was coming, but it didn't matter. Ellis took off and jumped straight over the defender for the dunk. According to Davis, his athleticism matches that of the players on the varsity team.

"My first thoughts when I saw him were one, where did he come from? and two why is he here?" said Davis. "That type of athleticism doesn't come around JV."

After a solid first year, Ellis knew he would have the opportunity to work out with the varsity team that summer. Unfortunately, plans had to change.

Near the end of his first JV season, Ellis tore multiple ligaments in his ankle. This injury sidelined him for weeks, causing him to miss the remainder of the season and the opportunity to play with the varsity team during the summer.

For a player hoping to play at the next level, this setback was tough, and he thought it might hurt his chances of ever getting the call-up.

"Coach Williams could've easily been like, 'well we don't want anybody who is injury prone on the team.' It was definitely in my head." Ellis said.

Ellis made his way back at the end of the summer, and was able to get some workouts in with varsity before the JV season resumed.

During his second season on JV, he suffered a sports hernia. But he wasn't going to let the injury slow him down this time.

"Last year with him not being 100 percent, he never missed a practice, never missed a game and never complained," Davis said. "That in a nutshell sums up who he is as a person and as a player."

After the season, he still needed some time off to let his body recover.

"There were times when my parents asked if I wanted to play another year or give my body a break," Ellis said. "All the training staff were super helpful to make the recovery a lot faster."

These injuries helped develop his work ethic and build his character. Despite living together, Dukes said he and Ellis rarely carpooled to practices or games because Ellis was showing up two hours early and leaving an hour late. He wanted to do everything he could to keep working while injured and make up for lost time. This became his routine and continued once he was healthy.

After recovering, he was able to hang around and continue working out with the varsity team this past summer. Near the end of the summer, Ellis made his breakthrough. From Aug. 15-20, the Carolina basketball team took a trip to the Bahamas, to play a few exhibition games and spend time together at the Atlantis Resort. Just two days before the team departed, Ellis was invited.

While the trip was certainly fun, it left Ellis in a bit of an unknown position.

"You are kind of in a zone of am I on the team am I not?" Ellis said. "I didn't really know anything."

After returning, Ellis continued to work with the varsity team, but was informed he likely wouldn't be called up. Based on personnel, varsity didn't need another guard. But his friendly and likeable personality had already won over the locker room and coaching staff.

"What really won Coach Williams over was just how easily and how quickly he immersed himself to the team and to the locker room," Davis said. "All of the guys went to Coach Williams and said they want him to stay on the team. It just shows what kind of person he is."

During that workout on Aug. 30, Williams called Ellis over. Their short conversation was followed by Ellis being mobbed by members of the team, getting high fives and hugs from the likes of Luke Maye and Kenny Williams. But these on-campus celebrities were no longer just that. They were his teammates.

"I really didn't even react," Ellis said. "I was just so surprised. For the rest of the day I was just like, 'wait, what just happened?'"

He was now an official member of the Carolina basketball team.

Ellis knew he needed to tell his family. They are all die-hard Tar Heel fans – always have been. Especially his mom, a UNC dental school graduate. The entire third floor of their house is painted Carolina blue and covered in Carolina basketball memorabilia.

"They had a similar reaction as me," Ellis said. "They just stared at me like, 'What did you say?' As they finally started realizing what was going on they got really excited."

Now, Ellis is prepared to make as much of an impact as possible in practice, where he expects his role to be the biggest, and try to challenge the team every day.

He also hopes his basketball career extends beyond this season and college basketball. His athleticism and talent already give him a chance to play at the professional level. Playing on the varsity team this season will help him further prepare for that.

"It is definitely something I would consider doing," Ellis said. "What other time in my life can I really try to play basketball. I am definitely going to look into it."

While Ellis, staying humble and low key, continues to downplay his excitement for the coming season and focuses on getting better, Davis makes up for it in excitement for him.

"I can't wait for him to run out of that tunnel for the first time," Davis said. "I can't wait, for me, to come out and look up in the stands and see his parents. I think it is pretty cool."

Recently, Ellis' mom dug up the picture of him and Coach Williams from the Roy Williams basketball camp, when Ellis was just a kid, dreaming of being where he is now, playing for that same coach.

"It is really cool," Ellis said. "It is crazy to think -- back then I never would've thought I would be here now."

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University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Caleb Ellis

Luke Maye

Kenny Williams

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