Ellington says goodbye to Murray State

MBB: The senior forward spent the last two seasons with the Racers

Nick Ellington averaged 9.9 points per game for the Racers this past season. (Photo: David Eaton/Murray State Athletics)

Senior forward Nick Ellington posted a goodbye letter to Murray State on social media Tuesday night.

Dear Murray State,
Thank you for welcoming me with open arms and embracing and loving me since the moment I stepped on campus during my visit. The relationships I made and molded from the fans and people in the community, to the life long brotherhoods I made with the men I was with in the gym have all become crucial and important to me. I’m so thankful to be apart of racer nation and forever connected to this great community and family. To come to such a great place and leave with a degree and the bonds I made through playing basketball I will forever cherish in my heart. #23out #racernation🐎 #murraystatebasketball #ᴀɢᴛɢ

Thank you
Sincerely,
Nick Ellington

Ellington reportedly visited George Mason on Sunday. The Portal Scoop reported Ellington was drawing interest from more than a dozen schools including UCF, Bowling Green, New Mexico State, Tulsa and Charleston. As of Sunday, Ellington told RacerBasketball.com that Murray State was still on his list and he wasn’t ruling out a return to the Racers — but tonight, a return can officially be ruled out.

Ellington gained an extra year to play with the new rule granting an additional season of eligibility for those who attended and competed at non-NCAA schools. Prior to his one season at Eastern Illinois and two seasons at Murray State, Ellington played two years at Meridian Community College in Mississippi.

In his two seasons at Murray State, Ellington started 62 out of 65 games, averaging 10.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game as a Racer.

The 6’7 forward recorded four double-doubles this season, highlighted by a 17-point, 10-rebound performance against Bradley in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

Ellington made huge strides at the free throw line this season. After shooting 51.1% from the line in November and December, he improved to 66.7% in the final three months of the year.

With Ellington definitively not returning to Murray State next season, here’s a look at the 2025-26 roster at this moment:

• Ben Shtolzberg (6’4 senior guard/3.8 PPG last year at UC Santa Barbara)

• KJ Tenner (6’0 sophomore guard/2.4 PPG last year at West Virginia)

• Mason Miller (6’9 senior guard/1.1 PPG last year at Creighton)

• Fredrick King (6’9 senior forward/2.7 PPG last year at Creighton)

• JJ Traynor (6’9 senior forward/5.6 PPG last year at DePaul)

• Javon Jackson (6’3 senior guard/11.6 PPG last year at UIC)

• Layne Taylor (5’11 sophomore guard/17.4 PPG last year at Central Arkansas)

Here are the four players who could potentially return to the Racers next year, but have yet to make anything publicly official regarding their future:

• Junior guard Patrick Chew

• Senior guard Justin Morgan

• Incoming freshman guard Tristian Ford

• Incoming freshman guard Kaden Rickard

Once any of those four players publicly announce their intention to play for the Racers next year, they will count toward the eight available scholarships Miller still has the ability to fill for the 2025-26 season.