Chico State men's basketball coach Greg Clink has called Isaiah Ellis the best defender he has ever coached. The casual fan may not always see it, but Friday night, the statistics helped illuminate Ellis' defensive prowess. The senior forward snagged six steals, tied for the most by a Wildcat during Clink's era and tied for the most by any player in the California Collegiate Athletic Association this season in leading the Wildcats to a 76–66 victory over Cal State LA.
Ellis' final steal of the night was the 100th of his career. It came in his 100th game in a Chico State uniform.
He is the 10th player in Chico State history to reach 100 career steals. Everyone on that list outside of Ellis and Jordan Semple, primarily played guard. The Wildcat of the Week is now one of just two players in school history with at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 100 steals, and 50 blocked shots.
Ellis finished Friday's game with eight points (on 3-of-4 shooting), six steals, three assists, a blocked shot, and a rebound. Ellis showcased his offensive repertoire Sunday, scoring a game-high 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting to go along with three rebounds, an assist, a block, and a steal.
The senior now ranks sixth in program history in blocked shots, tied with teammate Jalen McFerren for ninth in steals, 12th in rebounding, 12th in steals, and 15th in scoring. He heads into this weekend's games at Cal State San Marcos (Friday) and UC San Diego (Saturday) ranks second in the CCAA in steals and fifth in blocked shots.
