Senior Carl Elliott, a former point guard on the basketball team, will work out for the New York Giants this week, he said.
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound point guard said he will meet with Giants officials Monday morning in New York to participate in football workouts. He said he expects to run a 40-yard dash and go through catching routes.
“I’m looking to play wide receiver,” Elliott told The Hatchet Saturday. “They said if I can run fast and catch the ball, I can be a wide receiver, but if I can just run fast they’ll put me at defensive back. I’m going to go out there and try to show them that I can run fast and catch the ball.”
Elliott, the winningest player in GW basketball history, has not played organized football since his post-graduate year after high school at Worcester Academy (Mass.), where he played wide receiver. Elliott said he was recruited by several big programs to play college football, but ultimately decided to play basketball.
The Giants contacted head men’s basketball coach Karl Hobbs after one of Elliott’s high school football coaches alerted Giants quarterbacks coach Chris Palmer about Elliott. Hobbs gave the team Elliott’s contact information and a workout was arranged.
Basketball is still Elliott’s top priority, he said. Last week, he played in the Portsmouth Invitational, a basketball showcase tournament in Virginia featuring college players hoping to play professionally. He shot 36 percent from the floor over three games and his team placed third out of eight teams.
“Of course I’d rather be playing basketball,” Elliott said. “That’s my heart and that’s what I’ve been doing all my life, but if the tables turn and football is the way to go, then I’ll definitely give it a try.”
Since scheduling the workout, Elliott has been training with GW strength and conditioning coach Mark Bearden to improve his speed and quickness. Elliott also said he has been in touch with friends who play college football to learn more about what to expect Monday.
He added, “Going to this workout is not going to hurt me, it’s only going to help me. It can show NBA teams that I’m athletic and I can run; I can catch. It will show them how versatile I am. Hopefully, that will help.”
Last year, George Mason forward Jai Lewis tried out for the Giants but was left off the roster.
Elliott said John Grieg, a sports agent that represents former GW standout and Dallas Mavericks forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu, is representing him. Grieg did not return calls as of Sunday afternoon.
