PHOENIX — The fit no longer felt right.
As a junior at Villanova, Dylan Ennis started every game for a team that went 33-3, but he had only one season left to fulfill his desire to be a full-time point guard, a spot that would be occupied the next season by four-year captain Ryan Arciadiacono and five-star recruit Jalen Brunson.
In Oregon, Ennis saw a high-scoring system that would allow him to thrive as he always envisioned.
“I feel like I fit the niche that they were looking for,” Ennis said. “The style of play, I loved it. I can’t lie, the gear was great, too.”
But before the Canadian slipped on one of Nike’s lemon-lime flavored jerseys, he injured his foot, keeping him out for all but 21 minutes last season.
From the side, he watched his teammates fall one win short of the Final Four. From home, he then watched his former teammates showered in confetti, celebrating Villanova’s first national championship in 31 years.
Ennis could have been on that court in Houston, forever remembered as part of one unforgettable title team.
Instead, like North Carolina — which will play Oregon in the Final Four — Ennis still is chasing the championship he so easily could have won already.
“I didn’t feel I was unlucky,” Ennis said last week. “They won the championship. I was happy for them. They were my brothers before they were my teammates. I still talk to them now. … We’re great friends. I am where I want to be. That’s no disrespect to Villanova. I had three great years there, I learned a lot. I’ll be friends with the coaching staff and the players when I’m done playing basketball, [but] I’m exactly where I need to be. … I never questioned it for one second.”
Now, Villanova is at home, and Ennis is the one receiving texts of encouragement, from former coach Jay Wright and the Wildcats. Now, Ennis is in the enviable position, playing a key role on a team looking to end a title drought.
For the first time since winning the first NCAA Tournament in 1939, Oregon is back in the Final Four. Back then, Ennis was a freshman — or at least it seems that way, on a team that constantly jokes about the 25-year-old’s age.
“He’s the old man on the team,” coach Dana Altman said. “When he went down a year ago with a foot injury, it was a devastating loss for our team. … And he’s come back and been a big part of our team. … His maturity and leadership has really helped us this year. … He’s a very vocal young man. He does emphasize and re-emphasize what the coaches say, and so he’s been a solid leader for us throughout the year.”
Ennis didn’t know if he would have another chance at a championship this season, largely because he didn’t know if he would have the chance to play.
Ennis, who spent two years at Wings Academy in The Bronx, and whose younger brother Tyler is on the Lakers, originally played at Rice for one season before transferring to Villanova. Following last season’s injuries, Ennis needed the NCAA’s approval to be granted a sixth year of eligibility. After months of waiting, Ennis got the green light, then led the Ducks in minutes this season (31.6), while averaging 10.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals.
Throughout the tournament, Ennis has routinely spoken with appreciation for each moment — because he was 4-foot-11 entering high school and unsure if he’d ever be big enough, because of the injuries, because each game could be his last, because he doesn’t know what’s next.
The experience of a lifetime may not have passed. It may still be ahead.
“I have enjoyed my entire career, and whatever happens, I could go to sleep knowing that I enjoyed every step of it,” Ennis said. “I’m hoping that it ends with us holding that trophy up.”