Rick Pitinos smartest point guard was built for his St. Johns moment

The praise has been overflowing from almost the moment Quinn Ellis arrived on campus this summer. Rick Pitino already talks about his new star in almost reverential terms, calling him the smartest point guard he’s ever coached, raving about his basketball IQ, on-court maturity and selfless nature. The Hall of Famer can be prone to hyperbole, but rarely this early in a season when discussing a newcomer.  Get Zach Braziller’s text messages with all the latest St.John’s info and get your questions answered — exclusive to Sports+ subscribers.

Ellis, a heady and megatalented 6-foot-5 point guard from Sheffield, England, who played last year for Italy’s Olimpia Milano in the acclaimed EuroLeague, has made that much of an impact on him in only a few months. This is all new to the 23-year-old Ellis — new teammates, new coaches, new country and new city.He’s adjusting to a completely new style of play — American basketball features better athletes and a much quicker style than Europe, he said. What is not different is the game.

Ellis, who received multiple honors in 2025, including LBA Best Young Player, Italian Cup MVP and Italian Supercup MVP, has been around the sport his entire life.His mother, Vanessa, a longtime women’s basketball coach and former star player in England, brought him to her games when he was 5 months old. “He had to come with me, because we were all involved in basketball,” she said. His late grandmother, Betty Codona, founded the first women’s basketball club in England, the Sheffield Hatters, in 1961.

Vanessa still coaches with the Hatters, after 17 years with the Great Britain women’s national team.His cousin, Georgia Gayle, played college basketball at UCF and now plays professionally in Europe. Ellis started playing at the age of 5, much younger than most kids in Sheffield, because basketball is not a major sport there.

Growing up, he often handled the ball as one of the smaller kids on his team.Because he ...