Elijah Elliott has always been talented.
As a high schooler, he played in the best Amateur Athletic Union circuits his home state of Florida had to offer, earned scholarships from historically great programs and has been dubbed Ohio’s most athletic player by his teammates. He was even talented enough to play for a high school team, Sunrise Christian, that has churned out recent NBA lottery picks such as Grady Dick.
Despite all his talent, had Elliott relied on just that, he would be nowhere near contributing at his current level for Ohio.
After not seeing the floor in Ohio’s season opener, Elliott has become a starter for five straight games. In a full-circle moment, he scored a career-high 14 points in 30 minutes in Ohio’s most recent matchup against Appalachian State.
“He’s been working hard,” Ohio coach Jeff Boals said after Elliott’s career-high. “He stays extra, comes in early, and gets shots up.”
With every game, Elliott proves that Ohio struck gold by signing him, something that it almost missed out on doing.
Elliott was initially committed to Florida Atlantic, just two-and-a-half hours from where he grew up. However, when Florida Atlantic coach Dusty May went to coach for Michigan in March of 2024, it took Elliott less than two weeks to announce his decommitment. Less than a month after that, Elliott was officially a Bobcat.
“(Ohio assistant coach Lamar Thornton) was one of the first coaches to reach out to me after I decommitted,” Elliott said. “(Ohio) is a school I took a visit to before I went to FAU, so I was already kind of familiar with the staff and some of the players.”
One of those players Elliott holds ties to is redshirt sophomore AJ Brown, another Orlando native.
“(Brown and I) actually played for the same AAU program, so I knew him coming in,” Elliott said. “That’s a big part of why I came, having someone I’m familiar with.”
Regardless of how he got to Ohio, Elliot had to work incredibly hard for his current role on the team. He didn’t receive double-digit minutes in consecutive games until Ohio’s back-to-back blowout wins over Robert Morris and Morehead State, where he showcased signs of what was to come.
From then on, Ohio has played just one game without Elliott seeing floor time. Elliott recorded his first double-double in just 20 minutes against Muskingum, with what was at the time a career-high in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. Boals was hesitant to play the freshman in Ohio’s next game, its first Mid-American Conference matchup against Central Michigan, but it didn’t take long for Elliott to earn his spot.
“I put up a lot of reps every day, practicing the same stuff,” Elliott said. “It was only a matter of time before I could be able to showcase it because I work so hard on it. Staying in the gym and staying ready is the recipe to success.”
Ohio’s Jan. 17 matchup against Akron on the road was where Elliott proved he wasn’t leaving the rotation. Ohio lost the matchup by 12 points but the team managed to outscore its opponent while Elliott was on the court – something no other Ohio player was able to do.
Not long after — in large part due to injuries Ohio suffered against Akron and the following game against Eastern Michigan — Elliott got his first start. Since receiving the opportunity, he’s only become more impressive.
Elliott credits his resilience, even through the games he wasn’t playing in, to the same coach who initially reached out to him. Over time, Elliott and Thornton have built a great relationship.
“I couldn’t be more thankful for (Thornton),” Elliott said. “He keeps me in the gym every day. Even the games I wasn’t playing, the next day he was in the gym with me, before and after practice, we’re getting shots up, keeping me uplifted.”
Alongside his continuous effort to improve his game, what’s most important for Ohio is building Elliott’s confidence. In Ohio’s last two games, where Elliott has scored a combined 25 points and shot three-of-three from 3-point range, Boals and the Ohio coaching staff got a glimpse of what a confident Elliott looks like.
“It gives us a different dynamic, athletically,” Boals said. “And, the more you play, the more confident you get. When you’re more confident, you’ll be able to do some more things.”
