Reviving a Program With NBA Experience
Alcorn State University has tapped former NBA guard Monta Ellis to lead its men's basketball program as general manager, a decision that signals a bold attempt to reshape the Braves' trajectory after a two-decade drought from the NCAA Tournament.
Ellis, who enjoyed a 10-year professional career that included stints with the Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks and Indiana Pacers, brings a résumé of 17.8 points, 4.6 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game, along with the 2007 NBA Most Improved Player award, to the role.
In his new capacity, Ellis will oversee roster construction, evaluate talent at the high school and transfer-portal levels, and negotiate NIL opportunities, while also serving as a mentor who guides student-athletes toward success on the court, in the classroom and beyond.
Athletic director E. D'Wayne Robinson described Ellis as the "perfect addition" for a program that last captured a SWAC regular-season championship in 2022-23 and has not posted a winning record since, emphasizing the hire's alignment with the university's ambition to build a championship culture.
Based in Lorman, Mississippi, Alcorn State competes in the SWAC conference, and the front office hopes Ellis's basketball acumen will translate into a sustainable pipeline of talent capable of contending for conference titles and, ultimately, a return to the NCAA Tournament.
The move underscores a broader trend of leveraging former professional athletes into administrative and coaching roles at historically black colleges and universities, a strategy that administrators say could revitalize recruiting pipelines and deepen community ties.