Senators mean the world to 200-gamer Ellis

Cody Ellis is so proud to be continuing his family's legacy at the Warwick Senators and is even more excited by the growth of the club he's seen over his career that will now reach 200 games in the NBL1 West this Saturday night.

Despite still being only 33 years of age, Ellis has packed an enormous amount into his playing career after being born into basketball as the son of Perth Wildcats and Senators legend Mike.

Along the way Ellis spent time at the old Australian Institute of Sport, now the Centre of Excellence, had a standout college career at Saint Louis and went on to live out his dream of playing in the NBL at both the Sydney Kings and Illawarra Hawks, including being part of a Grand Final run.

However, through it all Ellis has always made it a priority to come back and play with the Senators where he grew up. 

The new-look Warwick Stadium might have grown enormously from where he started, but the stands in the new showcourt are now packed night after night and that's what makes him proudest as he approaches his 200-game milestone.

It's the Warwick Senators which will always claim the biggest piece of Ellis' heart, at least behind his own young family with wife Lauren, son Chase and their two dogs. That's why even while still playing in the NBL, he was so keen to keep coming back to play SBL, now NBL1 West, starting in 2014.

"I always rushed back because I loved playing with this group and for this club," Ellis said on Hoops Heaven's Basketball Hustle podcast.

"We've had a very similar core group of players throughout these past eight, nine years of playing with this team and it certainly is the most special club that I've been part of. 

"Obviously I got to live out my dream of playing NBL for the Kings and the Hawks, and that was amazing, and I loved Saint Louis and being able to represent the Billikens. But I think the Senators hold a special place in my heart above everything that's for sure."

Getting to 200 games

Ellis will now reach his 200-game milestone with the Senators this Saturday night when his team makes the trip south of the river to take on the Willetton Tigers.

Ellis made his debut officially in the SBL with the Senators in 2014 and has remained a cornerstone of the team ever since, including winning the West Coast Classic championship with his dad as coach and him as captain back in 2020.

The official celebrations will take place a week later at Warwick Stadium against the Perth Redbacks, but to reach the 200-game mark is something that Ellis is rightfully proud of especially knowing it's all happened at a club that means so much to him.

"It's massive and especially to do it for the club that I grew up playing for, and that's so deeply ingrained really in my family," he said. 

"It's a lot of games and I think people kind of shrug off 200 because they think lots of people do it, but there's really not that many that have done it at our club.

"A few of us are now starting to get there and we're in that little core group who have grown together over these past eight, nine, 10 years. It's very special and to do it with this group of guys who I consider family is awesome."

What the Warwick Senators mean to you

Reaching a mark like 200 games in any league or however it is made up in terms of teams played for is something any player deserves to be proud of, but it's the connection Ellis has with the Senators that make him proud to be a one club player.

After all, his dad along with uncles Brett and Glenn both played at the Senators in the formative years of the SBL back in the 1990s and going back to before the league even officially existed, and the Ellis name is synonymous with Warwick basketball and continues to be.

"It means everything that all 200 games are with the one club. I always thought that it would be something special to hit these milestones for the one club. It does make it very special," Ellis said.

"I've grown up playing for the club, I've been around the stadium for as long as I can remember and all my uncles are coaching the juniors now, I've got all my cousins through and playing for the club. 

"The whole club in general just has that family culture and it means the world. I love the club and couldn’t imagine playing anywhere else."

Thinking of an opponent who has reached 500 games

Getting to 200 games in the league is something Ellis is rightfully proud of, but he's also got a long-time opponent who has just celebrated 500 matches and who is on track to set a new games played record this season.

Seb Salinas is someone Ellis has spent his entire SBL/NBL1 West career playing against but their connection goes back further than that, and the fact he's not even halfway to the 500-game milestone Salinas recently celebrated is hard to comprehend.

While in fairness Ellis also played 121 games in the NBL at the Kings and Hawks, and played 112 college matches with the Saint Louis Billikens so his career tally is well beyond 400 just in terms of NBL1, NBL and NCAA without factoring in where else he has played.

However, when Ellis thinks to what Salinas has done and continues to do, it almost defies belief.

"It's unreal, it's such an impressive feat. Sebba coached me at under-18s when he was playing at Warwick so we go back quite aways," Ellis said. 

"Sebba has had an unbelievable career with a couple of championships and so many finals appearances, and 500 is a number that just doesn’t seem plausible when you think I'm just getting to 200. 

"I think it's really cool and the way he has looked after his body, he could play for another 500 he reckons but it's really cool to be able to compete against a guy whose longevity in the league has been second to none really."

Highlights along the way to 200

Highlights on the court across his 200 games with the Senators might be topped by a season not officially counted on the record books by the league when Ellis was captain and his dad was coach when they won the West Coast Classic championship in 2020.

That might continue to be great sense of pride yet also slight frustration for Ellis, but at the same time, if he was to pinpoint the highlights of the past decade above everything else, it's bigger than any team success.

It's the long-time teammates he's had including those still playing like the recently married Jay Thwaites, Ash Litterick and Caleb Davis, and those who have moved on like Corban Wroe, Tom Witts and Austin Bruton, and then even emerging stars like Ethan Elliott and George Pearl that stand out.

Then above everything else it's seeing the tremendous growth of the Warwick Senators organisation and the boost provided by the Warwick Stadium redevelopment that he's loved seeing transform during his time.

"That championship is obviously a highlight for sure. I mean, we've got a banner raised in the stadium for it so it still counts. Honestly though, it's just the growth of the club in general and not just our team," Ellis said.

"When I first came back, we were still playing out on the Court 1 which is now Court 5 on those little mini stands which are about three tiers tall. 

"Going from playing in front of alright crowds to packing that little place out which was awesome, and now the absolute growth of the club and where it is now with the add on to the stadium. 

"Being able to pack that out is awesome now and it's something that fills me with pride being able to run out to start warming up and seeing the stands filling up. 

"Knowing all those people spend their money to come and watch you play on the weekend is really cool so that’s probably the biggest highlight for me is just the growth in general. 

"You can see it right through our juniors and there's people on waitlists to get on local comp teams and WABL teams get unbelievable turnouts to their trials. I think that's the biggest highlight for me."

How the 2023 season is shaping up

As for the 2023 NBL1 West season for the Senators, it's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride so far in the second year in charge of Luke Brennan who is now also joined on the coaching staff this season by former two-time Joondalup Wolves championship winner Ben Ettridge.

The Senators just haven't been able to get everyone out on the court this season including an unfortunate hand injury to emerging guard Elliott and then even with Thwaites' wedding last Saturday which meant Ellis had to put teammate ahead of time for one night against the Wolves.

However, Ellis remains confident that throughout the second half of the season that things can come together for the Senators.

With their depth and versatility with himself, Davis, Hussayn Ford, Pearl, Thwaites, Elliott, Tyler Shand, Connor MIncherton and Uche Dibiamaka, there's good reason for his optimism.

"Things are very up and down right now for us. It's been a bit of an interesting start to the season with a few injuries, and we've got a couple of starters out and we've had lots of the young boys stepping up to play decent minutes," he said.

"That's always good and I like that, but it seems to be a three-year long injury stint for us at the moment. Hopefully we'll get them out early this season and towards the back end we can hit the ground running. To get some good minutes into the young boys has been really good though."

Ellis is also especially high on the potential for an NBL opportunity that two of his teammates have. 

Pearl is someone who legitimately can play almost any position on a team with his playmaking, ball handling, defensive, rebounding and shooting capabilities, while Elliott is proving one of the best young guards in the country after his Centre of Excellence experience.

"There's quite a few guys right around the league who are certainly on the cusp of an NBL opportunity and some guys who at least deserve some DP spots," Ellis said.

"Even from my team, you've got George Pearl who deserves a DP spot somewhere. He's smart but our nickname for him is 'Sleepy George' so I think getting in an NBL environment would only be a positive for him. 

"He is still so young and people might forget that, and I forget that at times because he's been part of our fold for so long now. 

"Then there's a guy like Ethan Elliott who probably deserves a chance in the next year or two as well. There's lots of young talent around the league and I'm looking forward to seeing more of them the rest of the season."

Milestone game against Wortho and his Tigers

While this Saturday night is a significant occasion for Ellis to reach his 200-game milestone for the Senators, his focus is on the team and trying to get a win against a powerful Willetton Tigers.

Willetton is an emerging force this season with the additions of South East Melbourne Phoenix explosive weapon Gorjok Gak along with new import Darnell Hoskins Jr, and still with regulars Andrew Black, Damien Scott and Michael Vigor.

It also presents Ellis with another chance to battle against Australian basketball great Mark Worthington which will only add the memorable milestone occasion.

"I've always loved playing against Wortho. Even though I got to play against him at the tail end of his NBL career, to be able to play against legends of his status so to play a milestone against him will be pretty special," Ellis said. 

"I think it's the week after when we're back home and we might have the presentation and all that stuff, and I do enjoy all that sort of stuff but I don’t want it to take away from the focus on the team. Hopefully we can just get the win and keep our season tracking forward."