As the college basketball season winds down and the SEC Tournament approaches, freshman guard Eli Ellis has been solidified as a familiar name in the South Carolina men's basketball program.
Before the season started, head coach Lamont Paris recognized the impact Ellis would bring to the program.
“I’ve seen Eli doing Eli stuff,” Paris said. “He’s extremely competitive, incredibly competitive. That’s probably the understatement of the year. And he does that in a way where he channels it in a manner that allows him to then be a more productive player because of it.”
The freshman guard has been a tremendous addition to the roster for the Gamecocks this season, and his passion for the game explains why.
“When you do something for so long, you can't fake it; you either love it, or you don't," Ellis said. "And if you really can fake it that long, then you really had a terrible career, and you hated, and then after basketball, you're just done. But I just feel like I really love the game. I love what it takes to be great at it. I love what comes along with it, and I love the bad, the good and the ugly.”
Ellis has played in 25 games for the Gamecocks as a freshman and averages 9.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game with a 39.9% field goal percentage for the 2025-26 season.
By embracing his role as the team’s sixth man, Ellis has become a spark off the bench, ranking fifth in team scoring and leading the reserves in points. His competitiveness and energy make him a consistent contributor whenever he’s on the court.
Ellis’ social media presence has allowed him to build a personal brand alongside his basketball career. Since committing to South Carolina in 2023, his digital footprint has amplified excitement around both him and the program, giving students and fans a chance to engage with him online.
Ellis has been constantly featured on the Overtime Elite, or OTE, Instagram page, which has a follower count of 1.4 million. Ellis is known for his time with OTE when he played on the YNG Dreamerz for the 2022-25 seasons.
In 2025, Ellis capped off his second MVP season with a game-winning shot to win the OTE Finals. The clip was posted by the official OTE TikTok and reached 5.7 million views and 572,000 likes. This buzzer-beater is the only video pinned on the OTE TikTok, making it easy for fans to see Ellis in action.
Since his departure to collegiate athletics, Ellis has been considered a huge face for the OTE social media, which projects onto his own brand.
Known for his elite scoring, Ellis also played alongside Amen and Ausar Thomspon, who were the No. 4 and No. 5 picks in the 2023 NBA Draft. By competing at the highest level of prep basketball and learning from top-tier talent, Ellis was more than prepared for transitioning to college basketball.
"I learned so much. I learned more of the off-the-court stuff and what it takes to be a pro," Ellis said. And it's prepared me so much to play at this level because if I didn't play at OTE and play against all of that competition, I don't know if I would have been physically and mentally prepared for this level. So it just shows how good OTE is as a whole."
Now in college, he is recognized not only for his performance on the court but for the personality he displays online.
On TikTok alone, Ellis has 1.4 million followers and has been posting since joining the platform in 2021, with each of his videos drawing at least 12,000 views. He posts every few days, especially on game days or with his teammates, to grow the audience for South Carolina men’s basketball while giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at life within the program.
His influence extends to Instagram, where he has approximately 692,000 followers and uses his audience to its full potential. With posting to his own channel called “IG FAM,” he is able to engage with his followers, whether through casual updates or simple gestures, such as wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.
Much of his content on his platforms consists of highlighting team chemistry and moments off the court the fans do not get to see in broadcasts. Ellis helps close the gap between players and fans by showcasing teammates in his videos and posts, which helps followers feel a connection to the team even outside of game action.
Decades ago, athletes relied solely on game performances to reach fans. Now, Ellis represents a new generation of college basketball players. By blending competition with content, he has become both a contributor on the floor and a marketer of the program itself.
In the modern outlook of college basketball, Ellis is not just playing his game on the court; he is marketing it.