By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
British point guard Quinn Ellis reflected on his debut EuroLeague campaign with EA7 Emporio Armani Milan while addressing rumors regarding a potential move to the NCAA to play for Rick Pitino at St. John’s.
When asked about the New York Post report suggesting a move to New York for the 2026-27 season, the 23-year-old Sheffield native remained focused on his current commitments in Italy’s LBA UnipolSai to conclude his 2025-26 journey.
“I’m focused on the season, finishing here in Milan, and then whatever happens happens after. But right now, I’m focused on these last two months in Milan, the Playoffs,” he stated. “Our goal is to win the championship in Italy.”
While the link to a high-profile program like St. John’s highlights his rising stock, Ellis is keeping his attention on the court. “It shows the work I put in, but I’m not too really focused on that right now. It’s not my main priority right now. My main priority is to finish the season the best way possible,” he explained.
Ellis also discussed the significance of his success for the growth of the sport in his home country.
“That’s also a motivation for me,” he underlined, “Being from the UK, where not many players play at a high level, it’s good to play at this high level to show guys back in the UK that guys from the UK can be established and we can make it and compete at this level. Hopefully, as you said, British basketball is back on the rise because there are a lot of people playing. There are a lot of guys playing the sport, and we’ve got to keep building up the sport and get it back to a competitive level.”
Throughout his first season in Europe’s premier competition, Ellis averaged 8.2 points and 4.5 assists across 36 appearances. Reflecting on the experience, he noted the personal development that comes with facing elite competition.
“Growth is a very important word. I feel like I’ve learned a lot. There were a lot of ups and downs, a lot of mistakes, and I feel like overall this season I’ve learned a lot and I’m grateful to play in the highest level in Europe,” he said. “Our goal was to make the Play-Ins, to make the Playoffs. Obviously, we didn’t get there in the end.”
Despite Milan finishing 14th with a 17-21 record, Ellis believes the heavy workload has accelerated his maturation as a floor general.
“Playing at this level, playing so many minutes, naturally improved my decision-making, improved physicality, and also improved my offense and defense. I feel like I’ve still got a long way to go in terms of that side of the game, but I feel like I improved a decent amount, and I’ll continue to improve and put the work in,” he said.