Bob Lutz: Perry Ellis keeps on doing what Perry Ellis does

LAWRENCE – Perry Ellis left Heights High as the most decorated high school basketball player in Wichita history.

Four state championships. Four All-State teams. High school All-American. It’s impossible to accomplish more.

But how would the 6-foot-8 Ellis adapt to playing at Kansas, one of the biggest of the big-time college programs?

It’s a good time to take stock, considering Ellis, a junior, became the 56th Jayhawk to reach 1,000 career points Saturday by scoring 18 in KU’s 74-64 win over Baylor at Allen Fieldhouse. He’s at 1,015 points 97 games into his career.

“It’s a great accomplishment,” Ellis said. “I’m blessed to be in this position and I’m trying to get better and just help our team keep winning.”

The reserved Ellis has more points than spoken words during his KU career, though he has gotten better with his tongue.

“Oh, Perry and I talk about everything imaginable,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “Lots of current issues, world peace, there are a lot of things Perry and I have in common and have similar interests in.”

Self was being facetious. Although Ellis has come a long way from his freshman season, when getting him to talk was a challenge, he’s not exactly Kevin Hart.

His play, though, is loud and clear.

Ellis is about consistency. He’s not going to knock down 40 points on a given night – it’s just not what he does.

His 18-point, six-rebound performance against Baylor was an Ellis classic. He made 7 of 11 shots and 4 of 5 free throws.

“I’ve had high expectations for Perry from Day 1,” Self said. “Has he exceeded expectations? That’s too strong, but I’d say he’s gotten close to where I thought he could be. He’s done great and been so consistent.”

Ellis isn’t shooting as well this season as last, when he was a 55-percent shooter. That’s down 10 percentage points and nobody’s really sure why. It might be because he’s taking more perimeter shots, but his free-throw percentage is also off some.

Ellis’ approach to getting better is simply to keep working.

“I’m learning so much here, each year I’m learning more and more,” Ellis said. “I feel like I’m continuing to get better and playing with a lot more energy. But I still think I can get better with my ballhandling and even shooting better. There are still ways for me to improve.”

Kansas has been running quite a few one-and-done players through of late, but it appears Ellis could be a throwback. It would be surprising if he’s not back for his senior season.

So let’s play with some numbers, shall we?

Kansas has five games remaining in the regular season, then the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City and the NCAA Tournament.

Let’s say KU plays 10 more games and Ellis continues to average 13 points and seven rebounds.

That would get him to 1,145 points and 622 rebounds during his first three seasons at KU. He would need a senior year of 455 points and 228 rebounds to become the fourth player in Kansas history to reach 1,600 points and 850 rebounds.

The others are Danny Manning (2,951 points, 1,187 rebounds), Nick Collison (2,097 points, 1,143 rebounds) and Raef LaFrentz (2,066 points, 1,186 rebounds).

Ellis is going about his career without a trumpet or a drum, but the noise he’s making is significant.

“Truthfully speaking, Perry has become more vocal, which doesn’t mean he’s vocal,” Self said. “But he’s more comfortable in his own skin and very confident.

“I’ve coached him for three years now and there have been a lot of times when he’s left me wanting more. You know, ‘He got 14 but he should have had 20,’ and things like that. But I haven’t thought that about him of late. I think he’s playing closer to his ceiling now than he ever has.”

On a team with balance, Ellis is the leading scorer and rebounder for the nation’s eighth-ranked team. Yet Ellis isn’t on any watch lists or in the mix for All-America honors.

The guy doesn’t get the respect he deserves as one of the nation’s most important players. Self is bringing along a young team, a job made easier by Ellis’ veteran presence.

He’s a rock and he always has been. There are no wild fluctuations in Ellis’ game. He’s not prone to disappearing or to mood swings that can take his attention from where it should be. He always plays the same and he always looks the same.

So what if Ellis, an honor student who had a 4.0 GPA at Heights, appears uncomfortable when he talks to the throng of media that often accumulates around this team? So what if he chooses his words carefully, then rushes to say them so he can be finished with the part of being a college basketball player that is most awkward for him?

“I think Perry has had a great run here,” Self said. “If he were to stay all four years, he’d put himself in a situation where he could be one of the 15 leading scorers in the history of the school. That’s pretty significant and I’m happy for him.”

This story was originally published February 14, 2015 at 4:21 PM with the headline "Bob Lutz: Perry Ellis keeps on doing what Perry Ellis does."