Izzo said he received a call about the Matteson, Ill., native from Smith after Ellis was released from his commitment at Minnesota. Smith described him as a jack-of-all-trades kind of guy, Izzo said.

When thinking about whether to redshirt Ellis, Izzo said he thought about former players, such as Morris Peterson, who was an NBA draft pick because of the additional year, but in the end it was up to Ellis and his family.

“It’s always up to the player, and I think Alvin wanted to do it,” Izzo said. “I had mixed feelings, because there’s times I want to redshirt for his sake, and it’s times I wanted him not to redshirt for our sake. He just wanted to be a part of this team, and I don’t blame him for that… Alvin can play. He’s going to help us. How many minutes he can play is the key.”

During the team’s media day in late October, Izzo said the coaching staff was surprised at Ellis’ and fellow freshman, and former high school teammate, Gavin Schilling’s progression.

In seven minutes of play against McNeese State on Friday, Ellis scored six points and grabbed two rebounds. He also had an assist and a steal.

Ellis said he had multiple discussions with Izzo and his family regarding the decision, but in the end knew he wasn’t redshirting.

“It wasn’t a tough decision at all,” Ellis said.

Ellis’ decision wasn’t a shock to sophomore guard Gary Harris either, who said after practice on Wednesday he thought Ellis would play.

Harris also believes Ellis’ versatility will help the team coming off the bench.

“He’s a competitor, he goes out there and competes and he can do a lot of things out there that’s definitely going to help us out,” Harris said. “They say Denzel (Valentine) has the best court vision, Alvin’s right up there with him with is court vision and making passes.”