As a basketball player, Mitch Elliott can do a little bit of everything. Only a sophomore, Elliott, a guard, has proven his value to the Clayton squad.

Head basketball coach Mike Nelke describes Elliott as a “high character kid,” feeling he leads by example both on and off the court.

“He is very nice, he is great in the classroom, he is great out of the classroom, he comes to practice every day and just works,” Nelke said. “He is one of those silent leaders … he is one of those guys you can always point to and say, ‘you know, he is doing everything we ask him to do.’”

As a player, Elliott has been on the varsity squad since his freshman year, earning an all-conference honorable mention in his first season. Although receiving praise from coaches and teammates, freshman year was a growing experience for Elliott, as he saw his basketball responsibilities drastically change from when he was in middle school.

“Because we had two really good seniors last year, I went from more of a scorer in eighth grade to a passer and role player [freshman year],” Elliott said.

This adjustment stands out to Justin Gellman, a sophomore on the JV team, as the most striking quality Elliott has shown.

“What impresses me about Mitch is that he went from just playing eighth grade basketball, playing against kids his own age, to playing against kids that are 18-years-old,” Gellman said.

Initially, Elliott thought the transition would be difficult, but he credits past seniors for making it smoother and remaining helpful.

Now Nelke feels that Elliott is a veteran, and that players in the basketball program are beginning to see him as a leader.

“I think this year kids in our program know that this is his second year on varsity, and as a sophomore that is pretty impressive,” Nelke said. “I think kids throughout our program, young and old, look up to him.”

Elliott works to be a positive influence on fellow players, a reason he is seen as a team leader despite his young age.

“I try to be supportive, help my teammates even if they have had a bad game,” Elliott said.

His defense also stands out. Nelke feels he can have Elliott guard other team’s top players.

“I think he accepts the challenge [of guarding good players],” Nelke said. “He looks forward to it, I think he enjoys playing defense, which, for a lot of high school kids, that is not easy to say.”

As for Elliott’s basketball future, a lot is still undetermined. Nelke believes that, due to his work ethic and skill, Elliott will play somewhere if he wants to in college, but does not yet know at what level. Elliott himself wants to play for as long as he can, but has not begun to think about the college process.

No matter where Elliott ends up after his time at CHS, Nelke views him as an asset on the Clayton team, and trusts his abilities as a player.

“I always feel very safe when Mitch is on the floor,” Nelke said. “I know he is going to do the right thing out there.”