State Champs! Sports Network

With less than a month to go before the late college signing period for basketball, a pair of the state’s top backcourt prospects went in different directions in their respective recruitments this week – one found a place to play, the other is on the look again.

 

On Thursday, Flint Beecher point guard Malik Ellison committed to Eastern Michigan, North Farmington Mr. Basketball finalist and combo guard Amauri Hardy vacated his commitment to Oklahoma State. Ellison averaged 26 points per game this winter and sparked his Beecher Bucs to a third Class C state title in a row. Hardy poured in 29 points per night in 2017, a year removed from helping lead his NF Raiders into the state championship game.

 

Both Hardy and Ellison are electric on the hardwood, forces of nature with the rock in their hand. They each play with a warrior’s mentality and have a competitive edge you just can’t teach.

Eastern Michigan was Ellison’s first DI offer. The Eagles came in with a bid earlier this month on the heels of the Bucs’ little big man breaking out for a school-record 63 points in a single game.

 

Hardy’s de-commitment results from first-year OSU head coach Brad Underwood, the man that recruited him to Stillwater, bolting for the Big Ten and Illinois after the Cowboys lost to Michigan in an NCAA Tournament opener. He could land in Champagne with Underwood, if the new Fighting Illini throw a scholarship his way, or down south at Georgia or Georgia Tech, the two schools most interested in his services prior to his initial commitment to OSU.