‘Bachelor’ Grant Ellis’ journey from basketball to red roses
HOUSTON (BVM) – Former professional basketball player Grant Ellis is ready to hand out roses for his new role on “The Bachelor.”
Once poised for a standout basketball career, Ellis is now navigating the game of love with the same focus he once brought to the court.
“It’s definitely awkward (watching myself on TV),” Ellis told the NY Post. “There’s a couple of things I do – I’m like, ‘I did that, what the heck?’ But you know, it’s a surreal feeling. I look at it like I’m watching film, like I’m watching game tape of myself. And it’s really interesting to see what the connections look like on screen.”
Many Bachelor Nation fans may not know that Ellis once had a promising basketball career before his reality TV gig on ABC. The 6-foot-4 guard was known for his athleticism and scoring ability.
Ellis’s high school basketball career
Ellis played his freshman and sophomore seasons at St. Benedict’s Prep (NJ) under legendary coach Dan Hurley, who had positioned the program to compete for a national championship. However, the program struggled when Hurley moved on to coach at the college level. As a result, Ellis decided to transfer to a new school.
Ellis transferred to Hudson Catholic High School (NJ) for his junior and season seasons. His signature performance came in a pivotal 67-64 victory over St. Peter’s Prep – where he scored 14 points, four blocks and five rebounds, according to basketball coach Nick Marinello in a 2011 interview with NJ.com.
As a senior, Ellis helped lead Hudson Catholic to a 25-3 overall record and a perfect 13-0 mark in league play. The team lost in the state finals.
By this time, ESPN ranked Ellis as a two-star small forward and the No. 20 player in New Jersey for the Class of 2012. This led to Division-I scholarship offers from Iona University, Manhattan College and Florida International University.
Ellis’s college basketball career
Ellis committed to playing basketball at Iona University after high school. He logged just 49 minutes in 17 games with 0.6 points on average for his freshman season (2013-14).
For the following season (2014-15), Ellis transferred to D-I Southern University. He never saw the court due to NCAA transfer rules.
Ellis transferred to play for D-III Albertus Magnus College for the 2015-16 season, where he averaged over 12 points and shot 39% from 3-point range. By his senior year (2016-17), he started in all 18 games, posting an impressive 19.1 points and leading the league in free-throw percentage with 91.7%.
“He was a great player, probably the best shooter I’ve ever had or seen,” Albertus Magnus head men’s basketball coach Mitch Oliver told CT Insider. “His biggest asset was probably what he’s showing now to everyone – his calm, cool, collected demeanor. He couldn’t be rattled.”
The Albertus Magnus Falcons posted Ellis’ highlights on their YouTube page this week to commemorate the premiere of his bachelor season, shown below.
Ellis’s pro basketball career
“It was a dream of mine (to play in the NBA),” Ellis admitted on “The Viall Files” podcast. “I started realizing it’s a lot harder. I’m talented, but there’s guys that are waking up out of bed with a 50-inch vertical. I can shoot, I can jump, but I’m not that athletic.”
With his NBA aspirations fading, Ellis would go on to play 4.5 years of professional basketball overseas. He played for the Dominican Republic’s Huracanes del Atlantico (2016-17) and the Indios de San Francisco (2017-18). In both seasons, he averaged no more than two points and two rebounds a game, per his Pro Ballers bio.
Unfortunately, Ellis suffered an injury that derailed his playing career, according to the NY Post. After the setback, he decided to shift his focus to a career in day trading.
“When I was (playing basketball) overseas, I was close with a couple of guys who played in the league, and they would come back and [not know] what to do with their finances,” Ellis said on “The Viall Files” podcast. “… So I started really diving into Futures and the S&P 500 – that’s the only instrument I trade. I just studied and I went all in. The first three years I lost everything I had in the market. But I stuck at it.”
Basketball is now just a hobby for Ellis as he focuses on his day-trading career and life as “The Bachelor.” He told the NY Post that it’s not a dealbreaker if his partner isn’t a sports fan.
“I’m into sports enough for the both of us,” Ellis joked.
