“He was routinely the best player on the floor at every stop on the circuit this summer,” Shulman, National Recruiting Analyst of Flagrant Fouls and Editor-in-Chief of the Ultimate Recruiting Handbook which concentrates on Canadian basketball prospects, told NBE this fall. “His overall floor game is as good as any Canadian point guard we’ve had in the last six years, a group that includes Junior Cadougan, Cory Joseph and Myck Kabongo. He understands the strengths of his teammates and always puts them in a position to be their best.”
 |
| Tyler Ennis |
The 6-foot-3, 180-pound Ennis is currently attending St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark (NJ) and has made an impact at his new American home right off the bat. He listed his game-winning basket against Plainfield (NJ) as his season highlight and that game in only his third game of the season.
The move from home to the United States has helped Ennis tremendously. He has improved his skills on the court and the resources available for players at St. Benedict’s has helped in other ways as well.
“Probably my shot and just getting it more consistent,” said Ennis of the area of his game which has improved the most since arriving in New Jersey. “Also my body [has improved, I'm] eating healthier and getting stronger for college.”
Ennis feels the Gray Bees have been improving as a team under first year head coach Mark Taylor. At the time of this interview (Friday), St. Benedict’s had just one loss which came at the hands of Jersey City (NJ) power St. Anthony’s in a much-anticipated contest that was played on New Year’s Day as part of the NJ Playaz New Year’s Jump-Off. With the Primeime Shootout and New Jersey state tournament ahead there will be plenty of opportunity to show off their improvement.
“I’m looking forward to start playing some of the teams ranked higher than us and proving how much better we have gotten as a team,” said Ennis on the rest of the season. “My goal for my team is to finish the season with only the one loss we have to St. Anthony’s.”
While there will be big games ahead this season, Ennis is also looking forward to getting back on the AAU circuit this spring with his Canadian teammates with CIA Bounce.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back into it with my CIA Bounce family and playing in the EYBL,” he said. “I enjoyed it last year so im excited to see what they’ve added new.”
As for his recruitment Ennis tells NBE that there is no shortage of big-time college programs already in pursuit. His recruitment will likely continue to grown in stature as the St. Benedict’s season morphs into the anticipated AAU travel season, which will have college coaches back on the road beginning in April for the first time in several years.
“Arizona, Kansas, Syracuse, UConn, Memphis, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Louisville, Villanova [and] NC State are the offers that have caught up with me recently,” said Ennis of what his recruitment is currently looking like.
Ennis has not taken a deeper look into recruiting at this stage, but will begin doing so over the summer with a schedule to decide and sign next fall. He is expected to be in Syracuse on February 11th when the Orange host Connecticut in a blockbuster BIG EAST tilt.
“No favorites at the moment,” he said. “As of right now I will probably cut my list by summer and commit and sign in the early period next year.”
Ennis is also beginning to form a list of factors that will play the biggest role in his future college decision as he looks for the right fit to accompolish his goals on the court.
“The most important factors will be things like playing time, history of winning, coaching and the talent I would be playing with,” he said. “A school that can win the National Championship!”
There is no doubt Tyler Ennis very well could be a key piece to any National Championship puzzle. NBE will continue to follow his recruitment closely as it is certain to be one of the most intense in the Class of 2013 with elite programs lining up in a hurry to make their pitch.
No comments:
Post a Comment