South Carolina Basketball's Eli Ellis Plans to Enter NCAA Transfer Portal

South Carolina guard Eli Ellis plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal.

The South Carolina Gamecocks' season has been over for a little over a week now after losing in the conference tournament and missing the NCAA tournament. With the 2025-2026 season in the rear view mirror now, players will begin announcing their future plans. One player has already made his announcement.

Eli Ellis has announced he plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal. He will depart the Gamecocks' roster after just one season with the program.

Ellis averaged 8.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. He shot .386 percent from the field and .280 from behind the three point line.

South Carolina Guard Eli Ellis Plans to Enter the NCAA Transfer Portal

Mar 11, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Eli Ellis (15) reacts after a made three point basket against the Oklahoma Sooners during the first half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Coming out of high school, Ellis was rated as a four-star prospect, the 69th-best player in the country and the third-best player out of the state of North Carolina according to 247 sports. Ellis did not start in any games for the Gamecocks this season, but played in a total of 28.

The Gamecocks had yet another sutrggling season this past year. They finished with a 13-19 record and a 4-14 record in the conference. It's the second season in a row the Gamecocks have missed the NCAA tournament after making it three seasons ago.

The program did announce that head coach Lamont Paris will be returning for the upcoming season. With that said though, it can be expected that South Carolina will see a lot of roster turnover this offseason with a lot of new players coming in. Ellis is the first departure of the offseason for South Carolina.

The transfer portal has become pivotal in college sports for rebuilding and replinishing rosters. The Gamecocks attempted to rebuild their roster through the portal this past season, but it was to avail. Perhaps this offseason, the Gamecocks can get a new crop of players in to get them back into contention in college basketball.

The NCAA transfer portal will officially open on April 7th after the national title game. The portal will then close on April 21st. However, players can go ahead and announce their plans to enter the portal, like Ellis did, but they will not officially be in the portal until the 7th. That's when they can officially start looking for their new homes and make their moves official.

Ellis will likely not be the only player from South Carolina to enter the portal.