Leuzinger Selects Ellis as Coach : Preps: Former Inglewood High and Loyola Marymount assistant becomes school’s basketball coach.

Jimmy Ellis, a former assistant on the high school, college and professional levels, has been named boys’ basketball coach at Leuzinger High, Athletic Director Steve Carnes said Wednesday.

Ellis, 37, was most recently an assistant for the San Jose Jammers of the Continental Basketball Assn. Before that, Ellis coached with Paul Westhead at Loyola Marymount in 1985-89 and Art Bias at Inglewood High in 1980-85.

Ellis replaces Phil Sherman, who resigned last spring after five years as Leuzinger’s coach to take the coaching job at Ribet Academy in La Canada.

“We’re very, very impressed with him,” Carnes said of Ellis. “We think he will be perfect for this place. We have some real high hopes for him.”

Carnes said Ellis, who grew up in Memphis and played basketball at Arkansas State, might be assisted by former UCLA guard Rod Foster.

“We were looking for somebody who’s going to hit real hard on the academic part of the program,” Carnes said. “We think this guy is the guy to do it. I think he’s a real good role model and a person with integrity.”

Carnes said he has heard that some of Leuzinger’s players from last season have followed Sherman to Ribet Academy, but he does not believe it will affect the Olympian program.

“Rumor is some (players) have gone to Ribet, but that’s OK,” he said. “We have no problem with that. We want to start fresh and build a program from within the school.”