Marquette Basketball Recruiting: Henry Ellenson Named As A Naismith Trophy Semifinalist

Just as the best player in college basketball is awarded the Naismith Trophy every year, the same goes for high school basketball as well.  On Tuesday, Rice Lake's Henry Ellenson was included on the list of semifinalists that was announced by The Atlanta Tipoff Club.

Ellenson, currently ranked #11 on the 247 Sports Composite rankings, is one of 10 players on the semifinalist list, and the only Big East recruit on the list.  All told, four different conference are represented by six committed recruits, with four uncommitted recruits rounding out the list.  The ACC and SEC both have two recruits on the list of 10 players, with the Pac 12 and Big East occupying the final two spots.  Ellenson is actually the only Wisconsin recruit on the list as well, as Whitefish Bay Dominican's Diamond Stone is not included, which is a bit of a surprise.  If Ellenson were to win the Naismith Trophy, he would be the first winner from the state of Wisconsin in the history of the award, which has been handed out annually since 1987.

Ellenson is one of four recruits that are signed to play at Marquette for Steve Wojciechowski starting in the fall of 2015.  Three of them - Ellenson, Haanif Cheatham, and Nick Noskowiak - are all in the 247 Composite Top 80, while the fourth, Matt Heldt, is currently seated at #101.

The Atlanta Tipoff Club will announce the list of finalists on Tuesday, February 24th.  That will be followed by their All-American teams on Tuesday, March 10th, and the Naismith Trophy winner will be named on Thursday, March 12th.  You can check out the full list of semifinalists here.