Minnesota Gophers sophomore basketball player Wally Ellenson has left the team to focus solely on track and field.
The two-sport athlete at the University of Minnesota has played in just nine games with the Gophers this season. Ellenson, according to 1500 ESPN, has been more successful as a high jumper on the track team than a guard on the basketball team.
“I think the timing, more than anything, was a little surprising,” Gophers coach Richard Pitino said, via the Star Tribune. “But he wasn’t playing a lot. I know that was frustrating for him, and that’s always frustrating for anybody. I think he felt like he could really help the track them. So he made the decision … We wish him nothing but the best in anything that he decides to do in the future.”
Sophomore guard Wally Ellenson to focus on track, per Gophers release.
— Marcus R. Fuller (@Marcus_R_Fuller) February 18, 2014
Pitino said it was a bit of surprise for Ellenson to make a decision to leave the team this time of the year. But there's an upcoming meet.
— Marcus R. Fuller (@Marcus_R_Fuller) February 18, 2014
Ellenson’s leaping ability landed him a spot in a national high school basketball dunk competition after his senior year at Rice Lake High School in Wisconsin. In track and field, the 6-foot-4 leaper won a gold medal at the Junior Pan Am Games in Medellin, Colombia in 2012.
