FAIRFAX, Va. – George Mason University men's basketball head coach Tony Skinn ('06) announced Friday that forward Nick Ellington will join the Patriot roster for the 2025-26 season.
 
Ellington averaged 9.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and shot 56.1 percent from the floor during his senior campaign at Murray State University.
 
"When you watch film, Nick stands out," Skinn said. "He plays with an old school energy. He's a natural shot blocker, which will help us tremendously, and he's so fundamentally sound. He screens, he rolls, he catches lobs and he's able to guard one through five with his length. He's a hybrid combo forward with an immensely competitive spirit."
 
The 6-foot-7, 235-pound big man started 30 of 33 games for the Racers in 2024-25 and played 23.6 minutes/contest. He reached double figures in 18 contests, capping his season with a double-double (17 pts, 10 reb) in the Missouri Valley Tournament vs. Bradley. He scored at least 15 points in 11 contests and shot 56.1 percent from the floor on the year. His 1.2 blocks/game ranked fifth in the league while he also placed fifth in the MVC in offensive rebounds/contest (2.15).
 
Ellington averaged 11.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and shot 59 percent from the floor in his first season for the Racers in 2023-24. He started all 32 games and ranked third in the MVC in blocks/game (1.5). He also was second in the conference in offensive rebounds/game (2.84).
 
The St. Louis, Mo., product played his first Div. I season at Eastern Illinois, where he started 21 of 31 games in 2022-23 He averaged 7.3 points and shot a team-best 52 percent from the floor. Overall in his three Div. I seasons, he's started 83 of 96 games and tallied 914 career points.
 
Prior to 2022-23, Ellington played two seasons of junior college ball at Meridian CC in Mississippi where he garnered NJCAA All-Region 23 honors in 2021-22 and ranked third in the country in blocks/game (3.4). As a high school player, he competed for Cardinal Ritter College Prep where he led his squad to the Missouri Class 3A State Championship in 2020.
 
Ellington joins a Patriot transfer class for 2025-26 which includes forward Dola Adebayo (Fort Myers, Fla./Mt. St. Mary's) and guards Kory Mincy (East Point, Ga./Presbyterian), Masai Troutman (Frederick, Md./Northeastern) and Jahari Long (Houston, Texas). The Patriots also will welcome freshmen Devin Booker (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Emmanuel Kanga (Libreville, Gabon).