Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Ennis’ Bandwagon Bound to Grow as Syracuse Remains Unbeaten
Pretty soon, Tyler Ennis’ Bandwagon is going to needs its own Bandwagon.
That’s how crowded it’s getting.
It’s liable to grow still bigger after Saturday’s performance in which Ennis scored six of Syracuse’s final eight points as the No. 2 Orange remained unbeaten with a 59-54 victory over No. 22 Pittsburgh at the Carrier Dome.
“This was a Big East game, forget about ACC,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim told ESPN’s Doris Burke. “This was a war.”
Ennis finished with 16 points, 3 assists and 1 turnover. C.J. Fair added 13 points, Jerami Grant 12 and Rakeem Christmas 10 as Syracuse remained unbeaten at 18-0, 5-0 ACC.
Pitt, which got 18 points from Lamar Patterson and 12 from Talib Zanna, dropped to 16-2, 4-1 ACC.
“We got a freshman who nobody knows that much about, he’s pretty good, especially down the stretch of games,” Boeheim said of Ennis. “He made some unbelievable plays.
Down 52-51, Ennis scored on back-to-back driving layups down the paint and then added two foul shots to fend off a Pitt team that twice since 2009 had ended unbeaten starts by Syracuse. Christmas hit two foul shots for Syracuse’s final points.
“Tyler Ennis, he was pretty good today,” Boeheim said of the Ontario native and former St. Benedict’s Prep star. “He’s just comfortable about there. He knows how to play, he doesn’t get flustered. Really, he’s an unusual player.
“I’ve had a lot of great point guards but as a freshman he’s the steadiest that I’ve ever had. I’m not going to say he’s the best because Pearl [Washington] would be mad at me and Sherman [Douglas], too, but he’s pretty damn good.”
One NBA scout added this thought.
“Tyler Ennis is growing up right before your eyes,” he said. “Great choices, always steady and under control. Improving his scoring daily. Moving up the Draft board every week.”
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
Pretty soon, Tyler Ennis’ Bandwagon is going to needs its own Bandwagon.
That’s how crowded it’s getting.
It’s liable to grow still bigger after Saturday’s performance in which Ennis scored six of Syracuse’s final eight points as the No. 2 Orange remained unbeaten with a 59-54 victory over No. 22 Pittsburgh at the Carrier Dome.
“This was a Big East game, forget about ACC,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim told ESPN’s Doris Burke. “This was a war.”
Ennis finished with 16 points, 3 assists and 1 turnover. C.J. Fair added 13 points, Jerami Grant 12 and Rakeem Christmas 10 as Syracuse remained unbeaten at 18-0, 5-0 ACC.
Pitt, which got 18 points from Lamar Patterson and 12 from Talib Zanna, dropped to 16-2, 4-1 ACC.
“We got a freshman who nobody knows that much about, he’s pretty good, especially down the stretch of games,” Boeheim said of Ennis. “He made some unbelievable plays.
Down 52-51, Ennis scored on back-to-back driving layups down the paint and then added two foul shots to fend off a Pitt team that twice since 2009 had ended unbeaten starts by Syracuse. Christmas hit two foul shots for Syracuse’s final points.
“Tyler Ennis, he was pretty good today,” Boeheim said of the Ontario native and former St. Benedict’s Prep star. “He’s just comfortable about there. He knows how to play, he doesn’t get flustered. Really, he’s an unusual player.
“I’ve had a lot of great point guards but as a freshman he’s the steadiest that I’ve ever had. I’m not going to say he’s the best because Pearl [Washington] would be mad at me and Sherman [Douglas], too, but he’s pretty damn good.”
One NBA scout added this thought.
“Tyler Ennis is growing up right before your eyes,” he said. “Great choices, always steady and under control. Improving his scoring daily. Moving up the Draft board every week.”
