PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas.– The long term future of Villanova’s back court changed dramatically this week after the first appearance of red shirt sophomore guard Dylan Ennis under game conditions.
The 6-2 Ennis, a Canadian import and transfer from Rice, broke his right shooting hand back on October 24. But he played like he had never been away from the game, coming off the bench to score a dozen of his 14 points in the first half when the the undefeated Wildcats scored 48 points and helped set the tone for 94-79 blowout of the University of Southern California in the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Imperial Ballroom at the Atlantis resort. The points scored were a tournament record.
Ennis shot 4-for-5, nailed 3 threes and had 3 assists in 23 minutes. He improved the dynamics of an already good back court by giving the Cats another long range shooter and a skilled ball handler who can create better shot opportunities for an their perimeter players
Not bad for a kid who missed six weeks of practice.
:”The cast came off last Friday,” Villanova coach Jay Wright recalled. “I decided we weren’t going to play him that night in a game against Delaware. But I was interested to see how he looked. So I told (assistant coach) Baker Dunleavy and our strength coach to work him out. When he came back, I asked, ‘How did he do?”
“Coach,” he said me. “He didn’t miss a shot. It was like he had never been away.”
Wright’s only concern headed into the USC game was the fact Ennis might be out of his mind because he was so excited about playing. But Ennis handled the situation well, particularly in the second half when he made some extra passed and great defensive plays.
Ennis could be a god send, much like guard Scottie Reynolds, an All American one of the stars of the Cats’ 2009 Final Four team. Reynolds initially signed to play for Kelvin Sampson at Oklahoma, but re opened his recruiting after Sampson left for Indiana.
Ennis, who was born in Brampton, Ont., comes from his basketball family. His legal step father Tony McIntyre runs CIA Bounce, the most powerful grass roots program in Canada. His older brother Brandon plays for UDC. Younger brother Tyler has the highest profile. He was a McDonald’s All American at St. Benedict’s in Newark, N.J. and played on the Canadian U19 world championship team last summer before enrolling at Syracuse, where he is the starting point guard as a freshman.’
“We are a competitive family,” Dylan admitted. “I’m always playing Tyler one on one. Who wins? I do. Hey, I’m the older brother.’
Like so many other elite Canadian prospects, Dylan also crossed the border to play his high school in the states. He spent two years in New York, living with an uncle and attending Wings Academy in the Bronx before transferring to Lake Forest, Ill. Academy because he wanted more of a prep school experience. He averaged 23 points, 7 assists, 8 rebounds, 3 steals and a block for Lake Forest with a career high 41 points against Culver Academy as a senior and was ranked among the Top 20 players in the state and Top 30 point guards in the country by ESPN.
Ennis initially signed with Rice where he was named to the All Freshman team in Conference USA and set a school freshman record for assists while averaging 8.5 points to go along with 37 steals and 21 blocks.
At the end of the season, he decided he wanted to challenge himself considered transferring to either Cincinnati or Virginia Tech before Villanova, who had been recruiting Tyler, became intrigued. Wright originally wanted to recruit both brothers. “But after we spoke with their father, he told us we would probably only get one,” Wright recalled. “We liked Dylan enough to offer him.”
The Big East school on Philadelphia’s Main Line, as it turns out, was a perfect fit.
“I‘m from Toronto, so coming back to the East Coast was a big factor,” Ennis said. “This way, most of my family can come to see me play. I’m a competitor. I want to play with the big boys. and felt this was place. to do it.”
Ennis, who can play both guard positions, made an immediate impact against USC. He ran the point, taking sufficient pressure off starting point guard Ryan Archcidiacono, who seemed more comfortable when he did not have to constantly create his own shot off the bounce. Archcidiacono, who shot just 1-9 from the three in a close 84-80 victory over Delaware last Friday at the Pavilion, was able to slide to the corner and the wing for open spots. He shot 6 for 11, making a flurry of jump shots and finishing with 14 points, 6 assists and 3 rebounds in 28 minutes. Ennis also allowed Darrun Hilliard, the team’s second leading scorer who has been playing 38 minutes a game, get some rest. Hilliard finished with 16 points and made three of six three pointers in just 25 minutes.
“My teammates and coaches have been there for me ever since I broke my hand,” Ennis said. “they made it easy for to ease in at the end. It wasn’t too tough. I’ve been practicing with the team and they’re like family to me. Whenever you go somewhere with your family, you’re comfortable and I was comfortable today.”
Villanova, which got 17 points from small forward James Bell and put five players into double figures, lit up the Trojans for 49.3 percent from the field with 11 threes. “Once you get on the court here at Atlantis is kind of like Madison Square Garden,” Wright said. “Dark on the outside and lights on the court. It makes for a good atmosphere and you shoot well just like the Garden because it’s so bright.”
