One of Morehouse College’s favorite sons is now its newest athletic director.
Harold Ellis, who spent parts of three seasons in the NBA after a stellar career with the Maroon Tigers’ men’s basketball team, was named to the post on Tuesday.
“I am deeply humbled and honored to return to my alma mater as the athletic director,” Ellis said. “It feels like a full circle moment for me, returning to the place where my passion for sports was nurtured and where I laid the foundation for my career. I am excited to give back to this remarkable Institution and to inspire a new generation of student-athletes to dream big and achieve greatness.”
Ellis, a native of Atlanta, attended Frederick Douglass High School and enrolled at Morehouse upon graduating in 1988. In four years with the Maroon Tigers, he averaged 24 points per game. After college, Ellis played for the Quad City Thunder of the Continental Basketball Association, where the Los Angeles Clippers discovered his talent.
Ellis was signed by the Clippers in 1994 and later scored 29 points against the Boston Celtics in Boston Garden. Ellis played two seasons for the Clippers and returned to the NBA after a stint in Greece to play for the Denver Nuggets during the 1997-98 season. He averaged six points per game in 145 NBA contests.
After his playing career, he served as an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons and spent time in the Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks, and Orlando Magic organizations.
