Tyler Ennis doesn’t have Jabari Parker’s gaudy statistics, Andrew Wiggins’ extraordinary physical gifts or Julius Randle’s brute force.
Yet, five weeks into the college basketball season, the former St. Benedict’s Prep (N.J.) star and Toronto native has performed as well as any of the highly-hyped freshmen in the country.
And, unlike the aforementioned standouts, Ennis is running a team, playing with poise, precision and control.
“He’s really adjusted, probably faster, to college basketball than almost any point guard I’ve seen in a long time,” Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said.
Averaging 12.4 points, 5.1 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game, the 6-foot-2 Ennis has keyed the second-ranked Orange’s impressive 9-0 start. He has performed well in Syracuse’s toughest games — with 17 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in a recent rout of Indiana and was at his best when Syracuse won the Maui Invitational.
Even more impressive than the quiet and unassuming Ennis’ stat-line has been his poise, his ability to come in and play off the bat for a veteran team with high expectations.
“I think the biggest thing is he’s very mature for a freshman,” Boeheim said. “He tries to keep the game simple and do the right things that need to be done. He’s a real point guard. … He knows how to play that position, and he’s got a straight-forward game.”
Ennis, Syracuse senior CJ Fair said, is able to visualize what will happen before a play actually materializes.
“Sometimes you see him make a pass, you’re like: Where’s that going? Then you see,” Fair said.
Boeheim said he’s “right up there” when asked how he compares to the best freshmen he’s coached, a list that includes Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Coleman and Michael-Carter Williams. “He’s played as well as any freshman point guard we’ve ever had.”
He has played so well, Syracuse hasn’t missed a beat at his position thus far, after Carter-Williams opted to forgo the final two years of his college career to enter the NBA Draft.
Ennis doesn’t like to be compared to Carter-Williams, whom he considers a friend and credits with his own development as a player. The two bonded when Ennis took an official visit to Syracuse last year, and they have remained close.
They are different players, Ennis lacking Carter-Williams physical gifts that made him the 11th pick in last June’s draft. He has patience Carter-Williams at times lacked, and whereas Carter-Williams would look to dunk over defenders, Ennis scores around them.
“People say I’m trying to fill his role, but I learned a lot from him,” Ennis said in advance of Sunday’s showdown against St. John’s at the Garden. “I’m not Mike. He led them to a Final Four. It’s something I want to do as well.”
Boeheim took a liking to Ennis off the bat, intrigued by how the point guard would play at his own pace, set tempo and look to set up teammates even though he could’ve scored just as easily himself.
Though there were several other point guards rated higher — such as Kentucky’s Andrew Harrison and Florida’s Kasey Hill — the longtime Syracuse coach felt his program had the best incoming freshman floor general.
“Nothing I’ve seen has changed my mind,” Boeheim said.
Ennis doesn’t get nervous, he said, because of his past experiences — playing a national schedule with St. Benedict’s Prep, facing the very best prospects in the nation on the AAU circuit with Canadian-based program CIA Bounce and also the time he spent with the Canadian national team in international competition.
“I’ve experienced everything,” he said.
His time with St. Benedict’s was particularly important for Ennis, who was living on his own for the first time. He got to see both ends of the spectrum playing in the hoops hot bed or New York City and northern New Jersey, going from an unknown to a highly ranked target with a bull’s-eye on his chest.
“You have to bring it every day when you’re ranked playing in New Jersey and New York,” he said. “That’s something I brought with me playing in college.”
Mark Taylor, the St. Benedict’s coach, has two fond on-court memories of Ennis he feels illustrates his former pupil’s maturity and on-court ability.
One game, Ennis was stripped by an opponent, who went in for a basket and began taunting him, clapping in Ennis’ face. Ennis responded without saying a word or returning the taunt, scoring 14 straight points in a dizzying two-minute display.
The other was last February, when he was bypassed for the McDonald’s All-American game. That night, Ennis scored 52 points in a rout over Eastern High School.
“That just sums up Tyler,” Taylor said. “He does it on the court. He doesn’t get caught up in anything else.”
Predictably, Ennis said he hasn’t even thought about his standing among the nation’s best freshmen in the country. His play has spoke volumes anyway.