NEW YORK — Tyler Ennis has known Kentucky point guard for Jamal Murray for several years now. The two Canadians played pickup games against one another and their fathers both coached with the CIA Bounce AAU program that also produced former No. 1 NBA Draft picks Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett.
“I actually saw [Murray] when he first got discovered, when he first started coming out to the gym and stuff,” Ennis, a one-and-done at Syracuse and former St. Benedict’s Prep standout, told SNY.tv before he got the start for the Milwaukee Bucks against the Knicks Friday night at MSG.
“And we didn’t really know how old he was. He was just kind of playing with us, and when he went back and started playing with his own age he just started dominating. So I think he’s showed how talented he is throughout this past summer and in high school, so I’m just excited to see him when games start at Kentucky and see how he does over there.”
Through two exhibition games at Kentucky, the 6-foot-5 Murray is averaging 21 points. He nearly missed a triple-double in Kentucky’s first game, and then he followed that with 20 points Friday in a a 111-58 blowout of Kentucky State.
“I’m just really excited to watch him this year and see how him and [Isaiah] Briscoe and Tyler Ulis all mix together,” said Ennis, who played with Briscoe at St. Benedict’s. “I think they’ll be good because it’s a good mix of scoring and passing.”
UK freshman out of Canada Jamal Murray takes flight in transition! https://t.co/f9eaHTU9FG
— Courtside Films (@CourtsideFilms) November 7, 2015
Murray is projected as the No. 6 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, and Ennis expects to see him in the NBA sooner rather than later.
“I think definitely he has the talent to play here, whether that’s this year, next year, you can’t really tell until they start playing,” he said. “But definitely I think he’ll end up here.”
Murray is part of the next wave of Canadian college talent that also includes Tyler’s older brother Dylan Ennis, now sitting out at Oregon with an injury, as well as Dillon Brooks (Oregon) and Xavier Rathan-Mayes (Florida State).
“We have a lot of good guys on good teams as well, so I’m just excited,” Ennis said. “I’m still a big college fan. I know a lot of guys don’t really watch college, but I still love watching college and seeing guys that I know just go out there and show what Canadian players can do.”