Kate Ellis has learned several life lessons in her four years at Central Catholic, and in her four seasons on the Fighting Irish girls varsity basketball team.
She will now need to apply some of what she’s accumulated – namely patience through adversity – after absorbing a tough blow in a 59-49 loss at Notre Dame on Monday.
Ellis, a 5-foot-10 senior guard who is leading the Three Rivers Athletic Conference is scoring, sustained a severe ankle sprain with 6:40 remaining in that defeat. The setback denied Central (12-7, 10-2) a chance at a first-place tie in the TRAC with the Eagles (16-3, 12-0).
The senior now turns her attention to rehabbing from her injury. That may or may not be in time for her to rejoin the Irish for Division II tournament play. If she cannot, her next game will be at the collegiate level.
Ellis, who carries a 3.82 grade-point average at Central Catholic, has signed to play on scholarship at the University of Findlay, where she plans to major in early education.
“Kate is a great all-around athlete,” Central coach Corri Stanley said. “She’s long and athletic, and she’s got some quickness. That allows her to attack the basket, and that’s her biggest strength, getting to the rim and scoring.
“She’s a great shooter too, and I don’t think she gets enough credit for that. We’ve asked her to step up on the defensive end too, and she can impact the game on both ends of the floor.”
The college game will be the next step in a relationship with basketball that began when Ellis was 3 years old at a YMCA with her father, Ron, teaching her the game.
Ellis played CYO basketball for All Saints Parish in Rossford from fourth through eighth grade, mostly coached by her dad, and also competed on AAU teams.
But, for much of that time, her primary focus was as a competitive gymnast.
By the time Ellis arrived at Central Catholic in the fall of 2016, her court skills were complete enough to earn a spot on the Irish varsity.
Her playing time increased the next season and, by her junior year, she was a full-time starter, averaging 10.7 points and 4.6 rebounds.
“When I was younger, I did gymnastics for about five years,” Ellis said. “Once I hit seventh and eighth grade, I really started to love basketball. That’s why I chose basketball over gymnastics.
“The sports really don’t go hand-in-hand, but the aspect of the conditioning and the strength part of gymnastics really helped me develop into the basketball player that I am today.”
Ellis also gives credit to her coaches.
“About seventh grade, I really found my passion for basketball,” Ellis said. “Playing AAU and CYO with my dad coaching me, he really helped me love the game.”
That passion grew under Stanley’s influence at Central.
“I’ve been on the varsity team with coach Corri [Stanley] since I was a freshman,” Ellis said. “I love playing for her, love playing for the team, and love playing for the school. I couldn’t have picked a better place.”
It was a positive experience from the outset.
“When I was a freshman, I got in the first game and I was like, ‘Wow, this is really exciting,’ ” Ellis recalled. “We played Clay, and I hit four 3s, and I was like, ‘Yeah, this was meant to be.’
“That Clay game really gave me a lot of confidence, because I knew that my team wanted me to do very well. Knowing that even a freshman could come in and make plays like that just gave me a lot more confidence in my game.”
As a senior, Ellis is averaging 16.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.5 steals per game, while shooting 40 percent from the field and 71 percent at the foul line.
“Kate is extremely valuable to the team,” Stanley said. “Most importantly, she’s a great kid. As a coach, it makes your job a lot easier when you get to coach great kids.
“She is obviously an offensive threat, and other teams have a big job on their plate trying to slow down Kate Ellis. She’s valuable in that she can score from anywhere on the floor, and as a long and athletic defender. She’s doing a heck of a job on the boards for us too.”
Stats aside, Ellis also possesses some intangibles.
“Kate brings a real passion to the game on the floor,” Stanley said. “She’s emotional, and you can see her passion for the game when she plays.”
The admiration is mutual between player and coach.
“At Findlay, I will be majoring in early education,” Ellis said, “and I hope to teach and coach, just like coach Corri.”
Stanley believes the best basketball performances are yet to come for Ellis.
“I think Kate’s going to have a great college basketball career,” Stanley said. “She’s played great in her years at Central Catholic, but she hasn’t really even peaked yet. I’m excited to see what she does at Findlay, and see even more out of her game.”
Fast 5
Quality most admired: “Hard work”
I would love to meet…: “Coach K”
Hidden talent: “I can do back flips”
Intriguing historical figure: “JFK”
Go-to food choice: “Baked potatoes”
First Published February 6, 2020, 12:47 a.m.
