Completed Event: Men's Basketball at UNLV on February 7, 2026 , Loss , 78, to, 80
M Basketball
at UNLV
L 78-80
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
Ellis takes shot at NBA Summer League for Pistons
6/30/2023 4:35:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro, Lopes Insider Blog
GCU sharpshooter joins Detroit for 5 televised July games in Las Vegas
Walter Ellis came to Grand Canyon with a 3-and-D prospect building inside of him.
Last year's hip surgery increased his mobility on defense and an expanded role heightened the impact of his elite 3-point shooting ability for Ellis to burst out in March. Ellis' late-season push was critical for a GCU run to the NCAA tournament and create his path to a NBA Summer League roster spot with the Detroit Pistons.
For players who took at least 125 3-point shots over the past two seasons, Ellis had the fourth-best 3-point shooting percentage in the nation at 45.7%. That came with this year's sizzling finish, when he went 21 for 42 on 3s over his final 12 games as a Lope.
Ellis will take that picture-perfect, quick-trigger release to Las Vegas as part of the Pistons' NBA Summer League team, which will play five games between July 8 and 16 on national television.
"The largest reason why I'm here is being able to shoot the ball at a really efficient clip," Ellis said. "That's been able to help me a bunch. Capping off our year with the run to the (NCAA) tournament and playing pretty heavy minutes has been a blessing at Grand Canyon to prove that I can be one of those most efficient shooters in the country. Grand Canyon was a really cool steppingstone to this whole opportunity."
Ellis is dipping his toes into the periphery of the NBA, where his father, LaPhonso, was an 11-year veteran and ranked among the league's top 10 scorers in 1996-97 for Denver. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound guard will play for the Pistons' summer coach, former NBA guard Jarrett Jack, and be reunited on the team with Buddy Boeheim, his high school teammate for a year, and Jaden Ivey, who grew up in the South Bend, Indiana, area at the same time as Ellis. Detroit's No. 5 overall pick Ausar Thompson, a 6-foot-7 guard, also is on its summer roster.
"I'm definitely excited for the opportunity to use this and slingshot myself into a longer basketball career, whatever that may be," Ellis said after his first team meeting Friday in Detroit. "I'm going to try to use this as an opportunity to learn as much as possible. I'm going to try to be the same guy I've always been – a great locker room guy, a great teammate and the best the guy like I was at GCU trying to make sure all the vibes in the locker room are correct."
Ellis' playing time increased to 25 minutes per game over the final 10 games of GCU's season, which included a six-game winning streak through the WAC Tournament championship to put the Lopes in the NCAA tournament.
"When Walt was first on our campus to how he is right now, there's just so much growth that has happened in his life spiritually, emotionally and as a basketball player," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said after the WAC Tournament championship. "His defense has improved significantly. He's really spreading the offense for us with his shooting, but what we love is he's bringing a ton of energy and leadership."
The summer Pistons' first four games at Thomas & Mack Center are set, with the fifth to be determined later:
Last year's hip surgery increased his mobility on defense and an expanded role heightened the impact of his elite 3-point shooting ability for Ellis to burst out in March. Ellis' late-season push was critical for a GCU run to the NCAA tournament and create his path to a NBA Summer League roster spot with the Detroit Pistons.For players who took at least 125 3-point shots over the past two seasons, Ellis had the fourth-best 3-point shooting percentage in the nation at 45.7%. That came with this year's sizzling finish, when he went 21 for 42 on 3s over his final 12 games as a Lope.
Ellis will take that picture-perfect, quick-trigger release to Las Vegas as part of the Pistons' NBA Summer League team, which will play five games between July 8 and 16 on national television.
"The largest reason why I'm here is being able to shoot the ball at a really efficient clip," Ellis said. "That's been able to help me a bunch. Capping off our year with the run to the (NCAA) tournament and playing pretty heavy minutes has been a blessing at Grand Canyon to prove that I can be one of those most efficient shooters in the country. Grand Canyon was a really cool steppingstone to this whole opportunity."
Ellis is dipping his toes into the periphery of the NBA, where his father, LaPhonso, was an 11-year veteran and ranked among the league's top 10 scorers in 1996-97 for Denver. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound guard will play for the Pistons' summer coach, former NBA guard Jarrett Jack, and be reunited on the team with Buddy Boeheim, his high school teammate for a year, and Jaden Ivey, who grew up in the South Bend, Indiana, area at the same time as Ellis. Detroit's No. 5 overall pick Ausar Thompson, a 6-foot-7 guard, also is on its summer roster."I'm definitely excited for the opportunity to use this and slingshot myself into a longer basketball career, whatever that may be," Ellis said after his first team meeting Friday in Detroit. "I'm going to try to use this as an opportunity to learn as much as possible. I'm going to try to be the same guy I've always been – a great locker room guy, a great teammate and the best the guy like I was at GCU trying to make sure all the vibes in the locker room are correct."
Ellis' playing time increased to 25 minutes per game over the final 10 games of GCU's season, which included a six-game winning streak through the WAC Tournament championship to put the Lopes in the NCAA tournament.
"When Walt was first on our campus to how he is right now, there's just so much growth that has happened in his life spiritually, emotionally and as a basketball player," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said after the WAC Tournament championship. "His defense has improved significantly. He's really spreading the offense for us with his shooting, but what we love is he's bringing a ton of energy and leadership."
The summer Pistons' first four games at Thomas & Mack Center are set, with the fifth to be determined later:
- July 8: vs. Orlando, 2:30 p.m. (Phoenix time), ESPN
- July 9: vs. Houston, 3 p.m. (Phoenix time), ESPN2
- July 12: vs. Toronto, 3 p.m. (Phoenix time), ESPN2
- July 14: vs. San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. (Phoenix time), NBA TV
Getting 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 in Vegas. 🟢🔥
— Grand Canyon Men's Basketball (@GCU_MBB) June 30, 2023
Congrats to Walt on inking a Summer League contract with the Detroit Pistons! #LopesInThePros pic.twitter.com/BbW7LL9TUG
Players Mentioned
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