Shawn Ellis will begin his third season on Tad Boyle's coaching staff in 2008.

He came to Northern Colorado after helping build a powerhouse Cloud County Community College program in Concordia, Kan., and following a standout playing career at Kansas Wesleyan in Salina, Kan.

"Shawn helped build Cloud County into a championship-caliber program," Boyle says. "He has an outstanding ability to relate to student-athletes, and his recruiting ties are top-notch. He has and will continue to help out our program tremendously."

Ellis served on the staff of head coach Kevin Muff at Cloud County. In his six years there, the Thunderbirds compiled a record of 109-79, including a mark of 24-9 in 2005-06, a season in which they shared the Western Division title in the Jayhawk Conference and lost in the semifinals of the Region VI Tournament.

Prior to working at Cloud County, Ellis spent two years as an assistant coach at NAIA school Kansas Wesleyan, his alma mater, in Salina, Kan. He helped Wesleyan win its first conference championship in 16 years and the program's first-ever NSCAA National Championship in 2000.

As a player, Ellis was a four-year starter for the Coyotes, earning NSCAA All-American honors and three All-Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference selection selections. He was named to the NSCAA All-Tournament team in 1997 and holds the school record for most games played.

Ellis, a native of Mooresville, Ind., earned his bachelor's degree in elementary education from Kansas Wesleyan in 1998.