A HS basketball standout comes home — though she never really left — for senior season
A larger audience will get to see this season what college and top amateur coaches have raved about the past few winters.
Ella Hobbs has come home to play basketball.
After spending two seasons with the LaMelo Ball-run 1 of 1 Academy, Hobbs will play her final year of high school ball at Jay M. Robinson High in Cabarrus County. Hobbs has always attended Robinson, where her father, Dennis, is the school’s principal. She played basketball at 1-of-1, which has a roster of regional players, seeking better competition at practice and in games.
Now her her senior season, Hobbs has decided to return home.
“I wanted to try and win a championship,” Hobbs said. “And it will be fun to play at my home school.”
There are other reasons why Hobbs, a 6-foot-4, four-star recruit, is at Robinson this season.
For starters, there’s a one-time opportunity to play with her younger sister. And there’s Lavar Batts Sr., who helped turn Robinson’s boys’ team into a power and is adding girls’ head coaching responsibilities this season.
‘I was always tall’
Hobbs, who comes from a family of athletes, said she discovered basketball at an early age, joining an AAU team while she was in third grade.
“I was always tall, and basketball seemed like a good fit,” she said.
She also tried volleyball. That wasn’t a good fit, she said.
By the time she reached middle school, Hobbs was catching the attention of top-flight amateur coaches and programs.
“I went to 1 of 1 because I wanted to play at the highest level,” she said.
The Indian Trail-based program played some public school teams, but its schedule also included a number of other basketball academies.
“I enjoyed the competition,” she said. “I felt that it made my game better.”
As a junior, Hobbs averaged 16.1 points and 6.2 rebounds a game. With her size and ability, college offers arrived in bulk. She was ranked as high as 80th nationally in the 2024 recruiting class.
Hobbs narrowed her choice to five schools — North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Miami, Ohio State and Michigan. In June, she chose Ohio State, which will lose its two key big players after the upcoming season.
“I kind of knew that I might choose Ohio State,” Hobbs said, recalling her recruiting period. “I liked the atmosphere there, and I liked the role I could play.”
Then came the decision on what to do in her senior year of high school.
“Coach (Batts) was one of the main factors in my moving to Robinson,” she said. “He is an outstanding coach, and I think I can learn more from him.”
A family connection
But there’s also the matter of her sister Camri, a sophomore on the Robinson roster. Camri, a point guard, is also expected to start this season.
“We’re pretty close,” said Hobbs, whose older brother Daevin plays college football at Tennessee. “Camri and I played together at 1 of 1, but I wanted the chance to be on the same team with her one more time — at Robinson.”
Hobbs said she is looking forward to some of the changes this year.
One big change is eliminating the 45-minute ride to and from school in Union County each day. And, she said, she’ll enjoy being seen more often by people in her community.
“I think it’ll be fun,” she said. “I’m looking forward to getting the support of students and parents in our community.”
Robinson also was reclassified from 2A to 3A this season, so Hobbs will get to play against bigger schools.
“That will make the competition better,” she said.
One highlight on the schedule comes in Jay M. Robinson’s opener, on Nov. 24. The Bulldogs will face Charlotte Catholic in the Charlotte Hoops Challenge. The Cougars are led by 6-6 center Blanca Thomas, a North Carolina commit.
“I’m looking forward to facing the schedule we’ve got this year,” Hobbs said. “It’ll be a challenge.”
Hobbs said she spent the summer working on extending her effective shooting range, saying that is something she’ll need at Ohio State.
“I put in a lot of work,” she said. “My learning process is still going on.”
If it all works out, Hobbs said, her move to Robinson would be the perfect ending to a high school career.
“This is a season I’m really looking forward to,” she said. “I can’t wait.”
