By Sean Fernandez
Tyler Ennis wanted to make his college decision before his senior year got underway. Well, he did just that on Thursday night, when he verbally committed to play for Jim Boeheim and the Syracuse Orange over a group of schools that included Louisville, Illinois, Memphis, and UCLA.
The announcement aired on his Toronto-based AAU team’s website, CIABounceBasketball.com.
Ennis is the 20th overall player in the Class of 2013 from Rivals, and the 41st overall player in the class of 2013 on ESPN. The rankings may be different, but they say the same thing. Ennis, who stands at 6’2”, is a very talented player and a great addition to an Orange roster that lacks depth at point guard. Sophomore Michael Carter-Williams will be the starter this year, but beyond that, there isn’t a true PG on the squad. When Ennis arrives on campus in 2013, he will likely see quality minutes from day one. He is a pass-first point guard that can handle the ball and facilitate, as well as score. (See video below)
Ennis grew up in Ontario, Canada, but he moved to the United States to play for powerhouse St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, NJ. He is the first member of the class of 2013 to sign with the Orange, and he could help to lure in some other recruits. Syracuse has been mentioned as a potential landing spot for a number of talented 2013 prospects such as Jermaine Lawrence, Rondae Jefferson, Ishmail Wainright, and Kuran Iverson, to name a few.
This is a definite victory for Jim Boeheim and his staff, who have been relentless in pursuit of the Canadian-born PG. Syracuse Assistant coach Adrian “Red” Autry made appearances at nearly every one of his games during the spring and summer AAU circuits while Boeheim and Mike Hopkins were traveling with Team USA, and Ennis has been to the SU campus multiple times, including a visit for the 85-67 win over UConn on February 11th. In his interview with Coast2CoastHoops, Ennis said that Syracuse was among the schools coming after him the hardest, along with Louisville and Illinois.
Syracuse was considered to be the favorite to land Ennis for quite some time. We were confident that he would become an Orange, and it’s now official. Welcome to ‘Cuse Nation, Tyler!
Here are some highlights.
