Basketball Recruiting: Tyler Ennis Chooses Orange

Tyler Ennis, the newest Syracuse commit. Photo Credit: ciabouncebasketball.com

Tyler Ennis announced his commitment to play for Syracuse on CIA Bounce TV Thursday. Ennis is widely considered to be a top 20 recruit, and one of the best point guards in the class of 2013. Ennis is a 6’2, 180 pound point guard who is an excellent distributor of the basketball.

The five star recruit had grown up a Syracuse fan, so it was of little surprise when he committed to the Orange over schools like UCLA, Illinois, and Louisville. The signing of Canada’s Ennis comes just a few years after the recruitment of Canadian Kris Joseph, who played four seasons at Syracuse before being drafted by the Boston Celtics. Isaiah Briscoe, Ennis’ teammate on the CIA Bounce, is another Canadian target for the Orange in the class of 2015.

The signing of Ennis is absolutely huge for the Orange, who are light at the guard position following the departure of Mookie Jones from the team, along with Dion Waiters’ leave for the NBA. Brandon Triche will be graduating following the upcoming season, leaving the Orange with only Michael Carter-Williams, Trevor Cooney, and Duke transfer Michael Gbinije. Ennis said that he also loved Syracuse because of the capability of the Orange to get him where he needs to go in regards to his long term goals.

I’d say the main thing is the role I’m going to be playing coming in as a freshman. A lot of playing time is up for grabs, so hopefully I will be able to come in and play a lot more than I would at another school. But also, the talent they have right now is gonna help me look better, and help me get where I want to be at the pro level.

When asked on CIA Bounce TV what he wanted to improve before coming to Syracuse, Ennis said that he definitely needs to improve his physicality before his first game in the Carrier Dome.

Right now I’m focusing on getting a lot stronger for the college level. (I’m going to be) playing against people who are sometimes four years older than I am, so (I’m focused on) being more aggressive and a lot stronger than I am for next year.

Ennis is another recruit in the long line of five star recruits for the Orange. Syracuse fans have grown immune to this type of commitment coming to play for Jim Boeheim, but this commitment is absolutely huge as this is a target the Orange have been looking to land for some time now, and will provide immediate improvements in guard play when he steps on campus for the 2013-2014 season.