Grandma Betty set the bar so high that it is impossible to cross it. Her daughter Vanessa, Quinn Ellis’ mother, raised the “Betty Codone Trophy” last May after winning the British title as a coachfor the Sheffield Hatters. Betty Codone, of course: Vanessa’s mother and Quinn Ellis’ grandmother.

It all began over 60 years ago when Betty Codone was a young physical education teacher in Sheffield, passionate about the very un-British sport of basketball. Her students, however, followed her lead. Their problem was that they had no teams to play against. They tried to compete against boys’ teams and, of course, they always lost. So, one day, Betty wrote the letter that would change everything. It was addressed to the British Federation magazine. Betty asked if there were any women’s teams in the United Kingdom to compete against, for what they knew. The answer was no; there wasn’t a single women’s team in the whole of Great Britain, except Betty Codone’s Sheffield Hatters. But the letter did raise some consciences. The Federation magazine encouraged the foundation of women’s teams. In short, the Hatters not only had opponents to face, but also a league to compete in. In fact, they lost the first one: a physically superior team from London, with many tall girls on the roster, won the first title. But it didn’t last long. When Betty Codone retired in 2009, her Sheffield Hatters – she was founder, president, and coach for over 500 games – had won 40 national titles. Betty Codone’s final achiejobvement was saving her Sheffield Hatters from COVID, which had put their existence at serious risk.

When your grandmother founded the first women’s team in a country like Great Britain, a team she coached for years with unparalleled success, when your grandmother was effectively the Queen Mother of British women’s basketball, surpassing her standards is impossible. No matter how hard Ellis will try. “My grandmother is a legend,” says Quinn. Betty Codone died at 83 in 2022; her daughter Vanessa, a former player, coaches the Sheffield Hatters and has been part of the British women’s national team coaching staff for years. Her other daughter, Loraine, is the Hatters’ general manager. Her daughter Georgia (Quinn’s cousin), who played in America at Central Florida, is the Hatters’ best player, was MVP of the 2025 final, and has been a pillar of the British national team for years. In this context, within the royal family of British women’s basketball, Quinn Ellis somehow has opened the “men’s section.”

Quinn didn’t actually start out with basketball right away. “In fact, as a kid, I played lots of sports: cricket, swimming, and soccer until I was 14. Then I decided to focus solely on basketball. It was the sport I was best at, but above all, it was a family thing, so it was a natural choice.” Cricket and soccer, typically English sports, then basketball, which isn’t taking off in Britain. “I don’t have a reason, we haven’t found the right pathway yet, and it’s a shame because so many kids play basketball. There’s talent and opportunities, but not the right path,” says Ellis. According to recent research, basketball is the most popular sport in Britain after soccer. But it’s happening at the amateur and youth level. The top is missing, “a league is missing.” “I – Quinn says – thought of moving to London to an academy after making a good debut for the U16 national team. In fact, I went there for a week. It was 2019.”

“Then there was a strange twist: a player from my mother’s team put Capo d’Orlando in touch with the man who is now my agent, who suggested I go to Italy instead of London. I went to give it a try in September, then moved in October. It was difficult because I was young, no one there spoke English, I even struggled at the supermarket, it’s a small place in Sicily, with few residents, and looking at the buildings, it seemed like they were a few years behind. But everyone was fantastic, there. They helped me from day one. At first, perhaps, I was tempted to leave, to go back home, but I always told myself that to become a professional, which was my dream, I would have to sacrifice myself. And that’s what I did.

After Capo d’Orlando, Trento came forward, and Trento sent him on loan to Casale. “When I was in the second division, I didn’t expect to play as much as I did. That was the moment I thought maybe I could make it, that basketball would become my profession. The two years in Trento were decisive: they gave me minutes, the chance to play, improve, make mistakes, and finally win. Last year, for example, we were a special group, and winning the Italian Cup, especially for a guy like Toto Forray, who’s been there for 15 years and finally lifted a trophy, was an indescribable joy. Then I was named MVP, so, yes, it went really well.”

In 2023, he also declared for the NBA draft. “I stayed in America for two months, first working out with many teams, then I played in the summer league with Portland. I was traveling every other day, basically going from one side of the country to the other. It was demanding, but it helped me grow. Also seeing how I performed against the better and more talented players overseas. I think it was a window into what that world was like.” Meanwhile, he has also become a sort of young leader for the British national team. “For me, playing for the national team is even more important because everyone in my family has played for the national team—my grandmother, my aunt, my cousin, everyone—so I feel a sense of responsibility and hope to become its leader in the future,” he says.

Now it’s Milan, with his Super Cup debut capped by the three-pointer that tied the game against Bologna in the semifinal, the game where he earned the trust of his teammates, as Coach Messina said: “It’s a challenge for me, but I’m ready to learn. There are experienced players here, and I try to learn from them every day. I can’t wait to play in this EuroLeague because it will tell me where I am, where I need to grow, and that’s what I’ll try to do in the coming months. As a player, I think I’m explosive; I like playing in transition, in the open court, getting my teammates into a rhythm, and using all my energy. That’s what I do.”