A Rose City Original: Overcoming Multiple Injuries, Cici Ellington Models Perseverance for Fellow Vikings

When PSU redshirt senior guard/forward Ciera (Cici) Ellington graduated from Benson Polytechnic High School in 2019, she was one of the two most-celebrated high school women’s basketball players in the state. One rating service ranked her the 28th best guard in the U.S.

Her senior year, she shared OSAA 6A State Player of the Year honors with future NCAA national champion and number two pick in the 2024 WNBA draft Cameron Brink from Southridge high school (They played against each other in state championship games their junior and senior years—winning one each). And she collected a pocket full of other team, tournament, league and state honors and had realistic dreams of a professional WNBA career.

That led to a scholarship offer from Loyola Marymount where she played for two seasons. There, she was named to the West Coast Conference (WCC) All-Freshman Team after ranking in the top 20 of the conference in scoring (11.7 ppg) and rebounding (5.5 rpg). After COVID, Ellington transferred to Grambling State, an HBCU (Historical Black College and University), where she would eventually earn a liberal arts degree.  

That’s where her physical problems began.

Ellington’s time at Grambling began well. She played 19 games her first year (starting 16), averaging 6.5 points and 3.2 rebounds. 

But one game into her second year there, disaster struck. She tore her ACL and meniscus which required two surgeries and a three-year recovery. 

Her dreams of a professional basketball career were in tatters.

Ellington came back to Portland from Grambling to consider her next moves.

“I had many days (and still do) where I thought everything had been ripped away from me, wondering why this had happened to me and asking God if I was being punished or if I did something wrong,” she recalled.

But something in her upbringing and her love for the game helped her keep going.

As a child, she had bounced around…born in Portland, moved to Oklahoma City at age four. Then, three years in Los Angeles and two more in Oklahoma City. She came back to Portland to live with her sister Camille for a quieter, less nomadic existence for the 7th and 8th grades and through high school.

“Basketball quite literally saved my life. It kept me away from people and places and shaped me into somebody I’m glad to be. I had an unconventional childhood and grew up seeing a lot at a very young age. I think finding a deep sense of passion and purpose for the game really changed my life.  I fell in love with the community, security, impact and mentorship of it all,” she said.

She’d learned to put life’s ups and downs into perspective.

When the injury happened, “I honestly wasn’t positive all the time. I had to learn that sometimes you can’t fake it. On a day that you might be on the verge of tears every hour, it’s about doing what you have to. Just showing up. Even though I felt I had no more chances, I made myself show up. It wasn’t about being positive but about blind faith. Not knowing what’s coming but going with your move anyway.”

Ellington had lost a lot of weight and muscle mass during her recovery. She continued with her physical therapy while sitting out a year and trying to regain her strength. She got a job, continued “showing up” and the early dream of a professional career flickered back to life.

After some time to reflect, Ellington contacted Portland State and arranged to join the Viking program.

She played basketball with a brace last year but has discarded it this year and feels she’s on her way back to being 100 percent physically.

“It’s really all a mental game — they say basketball is 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical — and it’s about just getting to a point of completely trusting my body and skill again. In order for me to get back on track for a potential pro career, I just need to fall back completely in love the game again and believe that I can do it regardless of the long road or my age,” said Ellington.

In her second year with the Vikings, Ellington is making strides and doing what she can to help first-year head coach Karlie Burris rebuild the program.

“Cici brings a wealth of experience from multiple conferences. She knows what it takes to prepare and win and the work it takes outside of practice to be at your best. She’s battled so many injuries with multiple surgeries. She has learned what it takes to take care of her body with rehab and the importance of recovery so that her body is ready to go for practice and game day.” said Burris, who successfully petitioned the NCAA so Ellington could play her final year of college ball.

At a quick and speedy six feet, Ellington can play guard and forward “which makes her a tough match up. She’s bigger than most guards and is quicker that most forwards. She’s done a great job of learning multiple positions and being ready for whatever is thrown at her,” she added.

Ellington enjoys creative writing and mentoring youth when she can find time away from basketball and pursuing a postbaccalaureate in Public Health Services Administration. She has grandparents in the medical field of whom she speaks proudly.

“My grandfather (a respiratory therapist) is still requested across the country to aid hospitals and my grandmother (a cardiac/ICU registered nurse) was one of the first nurses to open the trauma unit at OHSU,” she said.

Her expectations for the remainder of this season… “I want to play free. I tend to put a lot of thought and pressure over my game, and I think that sometimes hinders what I actually can do. I play my best when I just go out there and go for it. I’m looking to just fall in love with the game again and enjoy my final months of college basketball.”

This year, Burris has expected Ellington to lead by example—“to come in and show the underclassmen how hard they need to practice, how focused and locked in they need to be on the scout, and to communicate and bring people together. She’s done a great job of receiving coaching and putting it into action,” Burris said.

For her part, Ellington said she’s “grateful to play full time again. It’s crazy because I can still feel my body changing and getting stronger and back comfortable with doing the stuff that was my bread and butter before my injury.”

That’s in part because of her mental toughness, said Burris. “Her most admirable strength is her mental toughness with all she has overcome throughout all the coaching changes, transferring schools and injuries. She is making the most of her last college season.”

Burris said she and her staff are proud of Ellington’s resilience. “She stayed positive and continued to do the work.  She has made her mark and is proud to be from Portland and to be helping put Portland State women’s basketball back on course. She is helping lay the foundation for what is to come.”