Wichita Heights athletic director Rick Wheeler told faculty they could attend the Perry Ellis news conference &#x97; as long as they didn&#x92;t cheer.</p><p>Wednesday wasn&#x92;t the time for a pep rally, because that&#x92;s not Ellis&#x92; style and out of respect for the three basketball schools who won&#x92;t get the pleasure of his signature on a national letter of intent.</p><p>Ellis, a 6-foot-8 power forward, chose Kansas in a manner that fits with his game. He made the announcement quietly, efficiently and without theatrics in the Heights gymnasium in front of 30 or more media members.</p><p>He thanked his parents, his sister Savannah, his fellow students, his coaches and the coaches from Kansas State, Kentucky and Wichita State.</p><p>&#x93;At this time, I would like to decide that the school I will go to is the University of Kansas,&#x94; Ellis said. &#x93;I just felt so comfortable there. That was the school.&#x94;</p><p>Ellis is one of the most highly recruited players in state history after leading Heights to three Class 6A titles. He&#x92;s ranked No. 24 in the Rivals.com rankings for the class of 2012 and No. 37 in ESPNU&#x92;s national list. He averaged 22.1 points and 7.9 rebounds as a junior.</p><p>The choice came as no surprise, despite Ellis being quiet in the days leading up to the decision. Kansas coach Bill Self doesn&#x92;t lose many recruiting battles, especially in his home state.</p><p>Ellis made the decision largely on his own, Heights coach Joe Auer said, quietly paging through pros and cons in his mind. </p><p>&#x93;It&#x92;s been on my mind for a while now,&#x94; Ellis said. &#x93;It wasn&#x92;t a pop-up thing. I wanted to do it today because I was ready.&#x94;</p><p>Auer said KU offered a scholarship before anybody else. Self came to Ellis&#x92; first high school game. </p><p>Kansas assistant coach Danny Manning met Ellis in middle school and became a key figure, bonding with a similar personality. Manning won basketball points for his work with Marcus and Markieff Morris &#x97; former Jayhawks and first-round NBA draft picks &#x97; who play the same position as Ellis.</p><p>&#x93;He adores Coach Manning,&#x94; Auer said. &#x93;He watched how he handled the Morris twins. He was studious in watching how they developed.&#x94;</p><p>Ellis said, &#x93;He&#x92;s only going to make me better.&#x94;</p><p>Ellis called the other three coaches shortly before the 2:45 p.m. news conference. He had narrowed his list to four schools, eliminating schools such as Duke and Memphis in August. He took numerous visits to all four finalists, watching their games and evaluating his potential role. </p><p>&#x93;All these schools were real close to me,&#x94; Ellis said. &#x93;They&#x92;ve been there three or four years now. It was a tough decision.&#x94;</p><p>His verbal commitment is non-binding. Ellis plans to sign a national letter of intent during the week-long signing period that begins Nov. 9. Self can&#x92;t comment until the letter is received.</p><p>Ellis&#x92; commitment to KU makes the Jayhawks the big winner in Wichita&#x92;s recent talent surge. </p><p>Wichita North guard Conner Frankamp, a junior, orally committed to Kansas in July. He averaged 27.2 points and 4.2 rebounds as a sophomore.