YAKIMA – Zillah will turn to one of its own to take over the boys basketball program.

Jared Ellis, 2016 graduate of the school and a member of the 2014 Leopards championship squad, was announced Friday as the new Leopards coach by Zillah athletic director Lan Den Boer.

Ellis replaces Mario Mengarilli, who resigned in early summer amid an investigation into hazing allegations in the program. A monthslong investigation found that the allegations were “substantiated in part,” although most who were interviewed back the coach and the program.

Mengarelli won more than 90% percent of games and three Class 1A state championships in his 10-year run.

Ellis has spent the last two years assisting fellow Zillah alum Anfernee Cortez with the Wahluke boys program.

“It means a lot to be back in the orange and black,” Ellis said in a telephone interview Friday afternoon. “I always followed them and rooted for them – except when we played them.”

High school assistant principal Ryne Phillips, who was an assistant for Zillah from 2013-2018, will return to the bench as Ellis’ top assistant.

Phillips is a 2004 Brewster graduate, and was a standout guard on the Bears’ back-to-back state championship teams that claimed the Class 1A title under coach Tim Taylor in the Yakima Valley SunDome.

“Ryne’s an extremely competitive person, and we both can’t stand losing,” said Ellis, who runs a pest-control business in the Tri-Cities. “He’s got a lot of basketball knowledge, and I’ll lean on him a lot.”

Ellis was a standout guard for the Leopards, playing alongside Scotty Burge in the backcourt for Hall of Fame coach Doug Burge.

“He was a fantastic competitor, and was tenacious on both ends of the court,” Doug Burge said. “He’ll be a good fit for the program, and he knows what the program is all about.”

Ellis said the Leopards' style will remain the same – tough defense looking to get the fast break going.

“It’s going to be a lot of the same – defense and fast basketball,” he said. “A lot of things that have made Zillah successful.”