ELLISON'S SECOND CHANCE; THE COC FORWARD MESSED UP IN HIGH SCHOOL, BUT IS MAKING UP FOR IT NOW.

Byline: Scott Magoloff Daily News Staff Writer

Anthony Ellison was lucky to have tagged along with his older brother to basketball practice at College of the Canyons.

Four years ago, Ellison, now a 20-year old freshman at COC, would work on his skills off to the side during his brother's practice. Little did he know, coach Lee Smelser took notice.

And thankfully so. Smelser turned out to be his one and only chance at college basketball.

``I messed up in high school. I had bad grades,'' said Ellison, who was the fourth leading scorer in the Western State Conference as of last week, averaging 18 points per game. ``This is my second chance - maybe my last. I'm taking advantage of it.''

Ellison, who will likely move up the charts after scorching Cuesta for 34 points on Saturday, had been out of basketball for the past two years.

The 6-foot-5, 190-pound forward transferred from Van Nuys High to Canoga before his sophomore year. Due to a misprint on his transcript, he said, school officials told him in his senior year that he had been at Canoga for three years and Van Nuys for one, meaning he had spent four years total in high school.

Because of the mistake, along with his classroom shortcomings, Ellison did not play basketball his senior year. And he spent last year playing pick-up games.

``I regret my grades,'' Ellison said, reflecting on his high school years. ``If I knew then what I know now, I could have gone D-I right out of high school. If it wasn't for my grades . . .''

After a recent practice at Canyons, Ellison spoke of advice he would like to give youths who might face similar problems. His message: ``Work on your grades before you think about playing basketball. Without an education, there is no next level.''

Ellison's next level is junior college, where he finds himself under the tutelage of Smelser, now in his 30th year at Canyons. He has flourished of late after struggling to find his stride early in the season.

Ellison added 10 pounds of muscle to his body, creating a dimension to his game Smelser did not expect. Ellison is the fifth-leading rebounder in the conference, averaging nearly eight per game. He also makes 55 percent of his shots from the field.

``We expected to have him last year, but he took a year off, I guess,'' Smelser said. ``So we kept in touch through his brother. He just wanted to get better and has a strong desire to be a very good player.''

Smelser said Ellison brings ``no baggage'' to the basketball court and that he is ``very coachable.'' He also marvels at Ellison's competitive drive, saying it plays a major role in the development of his rebounding skills.

It has taken some time to re-adjust his game from the playground back to team basketball, but he is overcoming that. And he has only recently begun to heal from his latest, and most difficult ordeal - the loss of his mother to cancer three months ago.

``I'm on my own now,'' said Ellison, who was raised by his mother but does keep in touch with his father. ``I just try to play my hardest every game. You never know what tomorrow will bring. You never know.''

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PHOTO COC's Anthony Ellison learned from high school mistakes and now is among the leading scorers in the WSC at 18 points per game.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News