City of Basketball Love

By Matt Allibone (@Bad2theAllibone)
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As Rahmir Barno put it, Philadelphia is “one of those places where everyone knows everyone."

So the former Imhotep standout and current Florida Gulf Coast University junior didn’t need to be introduced to Jordan Ellerbee prior to this season. Barno hadn’t previously spoken to Ellerbee, but he followed the former St. Joseph’s Prep star’s outstanding high school career and watched him play on a number of occasions. 

He knew exactly what Ellerbee could do when they became teammates at FCGU this past offseason. 

“He was the Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year so it would’ve been pretty hard to miss him,” Barno said. “I was definitely familiar with who he was.”

Now Barno and Ellerbee are excelling as teammates in the same backcourt. The Philadelphia natives are both having strong seasons for Florida Gulf Coast, which is 8-11 but coming off a 90-72 win over West Georgia Saturday. Barno and Ellerbee combined for 35 points in the win. 

The 6-foot-2 Ellerbee is second on the team in scoring at 13.5 points per game while averaging 3.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 25 minutes per contest. The 6-foot Barno is third in scoring at 12.9 points per game while leading the Eagles in assists (5.3), steals (1.7) and minutes (31.6) per game. 

While they’re both similar-sized guards from Philadelphia, Barno and Ellerbee have their differences. Barno is the point guard and floor general. Ellerbee can handle the ball but is an explosive scorer who isn’t afraid to drive to the basket or take shots from behind the arc. 

But heir similarities are more important and go beyond their sizes, positions and home cities. They both play with a quiet confidence. They both care about team goals over personal accomplishments. Neither is afraid to admit they can continue to get better. 

And they’ve both entered new roles this season — Barno as a team leader and Ellerbee as a freshman contributor — and have still thrived. 

“And they’re good friends,” FGCU head coach Patrick Chambers said. “It doesn’t matter that one is a freshman and one is a junior. They legitimately enjoy each other’s company.” 

Imhotep alum Rahmir Barno is averaging double figures for FGCU this season (Photo: Lexi Harbach/FGCU Athletics)

Ellerbee almost doesn’t want to talk about the signature performance of his freshman season. 

He dropped an astounding 42 points in 35 minutes off the bench against Kennesaw State on Nov. 26 — going 5-for-8 from 3-point range and 11-of-14 from the free throw line. It was just the eighth game of his college career. 

But the Eagles lost, 102-100, in overtime. 

“I wish we would’ve come out with a dub. That’s what I think about that game,” Ellerbee said. “In the moment I was just playing my game. My teammates and coaches trusted me and that kept my head in the game.” 

That attitude is Ellerbee in a nutshell. He’s aware his career has gotten off to a strong start, but he knows he still has a long way to go. When asked what area of his game has improved since leaving high school, he quickly answered “everything.” 

He doesn’t think there was a specific moment that proved he could play Division I basketball, because he believes he needs to keep proving that everyday. 

And yet his teammates and coaches have been both impressed and entirely unsurprised by his emergence this season. 

“Nothing he’s done has surprised me because we thought he was being underrecruited,” Chambers said. “He comes from a good support system, but he just loves to hoop and he loves getting better. He gets after it in the weight room, he competes in practice and he lets us coach him hard. That’s why he’s having success. 

“He’s just scratching the surface.” 

Like all freshmen, Ellerbee has gone through some growing pains. He was held to single digit points and hadn’t made a 3-pointer in consecutive games before Saturday, but finished with 16 points, five assists and four rebounds against West Georgia. 

Chambers said the biggest key for Ellerbee will be adding more muscle to his 175-pound frame and being more consistent on both ends of the court. He compared Ellerbee to his former Penn State players Josh Reaves and Archbishop Ryan’s Izaiah Brockington, who both had short stints in the NBA before playing professionally overseas. 

On the other hand, Barno has had a different collegiate journey. He got consistent playing time as a freshman but averaged just 4.7 points per game. His role increased last season until he missed nearly six weeks late in the season with a hand injury. 

He entered this season as the undisputed starting point guard, but that meant stepping outside his comfort zone as a vocal leader. 

“I understood that I would have a more significant role and I would need to step up, not for me but for our team,” Barno said. “I needed to trust myself and have self confidence from what I work on daily.” 

Barno has been one of FGCU’s most consistent players this season, scoring double digit points 14 times in 19 games. He’s also been an efficient 3-point shooter, making nearly 40% on 1.7 attempts per game. 

Barno and Ellerbee aren't the only Philadelphia natives on FGCU’s roster. Sophomore and Archbishop Ryan grad Darren Williams is averaging 6.8 points in nearly 20 minutes per game. Ellerbee’s former St. Joseph’s Prep teammate, Tristen Guillouette, is a sophomore center coming off the bench.

It’s not surprising the Eagles have multiple Philadelphia natives on the roster. Chambers played at Philadelphia University and was an assistant under Jay Wright at Villanova. His staff is filled with locals from associate head coach Kyle Griffin (Germantown Academy) to assistant DJ Irving (Roman Catholic) and Chief of Staff David Caporaletti (Philadelphia University). 

But Chambers and his players said there’s not much talk about being homesick while in Florida. 

“The sun is shining here. It’s like our spring,” Chambers said with a laugh. “I watched the (NFL playoff) games last weekend and thought: ‘we’re so blessed to be down here.’” 

FGCU is currently eighth in the Atlantic Sun Conference (2-4 conference record) with its next game against Austin Peay on Thursday. Both Barno and Ellerbee are determined to put the Eagles in a good position when the conference tournament starts in March. 

“Rahmir and I click in certain ways because we play a similar style and some of that comes with being from the same area,” Ellerbee said. “Playing with him has been a blessing.”