While the criminal charges were cleared from Ellenberger's record, he would never be a college head coach again. Despite the scandal, Ellenberger managed to remain popular in Albuquerque, running a nightclub, appearing in TV commercials, and coaching the city's Continental Basketball Association team – some fans even wanted him to be rehired as Lobo coach. In 1986, former rival and longtime friend Don Haskins hired Ellenberger as his lead assistant at UTEP, where he would coach for four years. He then became the lead assistant for Bobby Knight at Indiana for ten seasons, from 1990–2000, and later coached in the NBA and WNBA.