West Carteret C Jaxon Ellingsworth finishes HS career with standout all-star performance
Posted July 14, 2022 2:02 p.m. EDT
Greensboro, N.C. — West Carteret center Jaxon Ellingsworth put on a show at the NCCA East-West All-Star game in Greensboro on Monday night.
It was the type of performance that was a regular occurrence for him during the high school season with the Patriots.
The six-foot-eight big man averaged a 21.9 point, 10.4 rebound double-double during the season and played his way on to the college basketball radar.
He led an upstart West Carteret team all the way to the 3A Eastern regional final where it lost a close game to Seventy-First.
"We made back-to-back final fours," Ellingsworth said, reflecting on his time as a Patriot. "That's big. Especially for a bunch of beach boys; that's what they call us. That's really impressive. I think our school's only done that maybe once, so we put it on the map for sure.
At Monday's all-star game, he put up 29 points and was named as the game's MVP even though the East lost the game.
On a night that featured a litany of players breaking double figures, Ellingsworth made a statement by being the only one to dominate throughout the game.
"It's fun," he said of the experience. "It's good competition. It's different playing with people you've never played with... you've just got to battle your way and see which way it falls really."
Ellingsworth has been enrolled at East Carolina for a month, where he's excited to join the men's basketball team as a walk-on.
With his height and skill set, Ellingsworth is hoping to work hard and push for playing time with the Pirates.
"You've got to work," he said. "This is nothing. That's ten times harder. You've just got to put the work in, and you'll get your playing time for sure."
