Syracuse basketball reaction to Tyler Ennis' buzzer-beating 3-pointer against Pittsburgh
Tyler Ennis' 3-pointer from 35 feet to beat the buzzer provided the highlight of the season for the Syracuse Orange.
( Bobby Mizia / The Pitt News)
The Syracuse University basketball team's 2013-14 season ended with Saturday's 55-53 loss to Dayton in the NCAA tournament's third round at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo.
The season began with the hope and excitement of 25 consecutive wins, but it ended with the disappointment of six losses in the Orange's last nine games.
How did each player fare this season? Did they meet or exceed expectations? What goals should they have for the offseason? What will their roles be next year? And, in some cases, will they even be back next year?
TYLER ENNIS
Freshman, 6-2, 180 pounds
Final stats: 12.9 ppg, 5. apg
Syracuse has had some outstanding freshmen who started at point guard. Pearl Washington. Jason Hart. Jonny Flynn.
Tyler Ennis' freshman year numbers rival any of his predecessors at Syracuse. Ennis averaged 12.9 points per game. Flynn is the only Syracuse point guard who scored more as a freshman at 15.7 points per game. (Gerry McNamara averaged 13.3 points per game while splitting time between the point and shooting guard as a freshman).
Ennis' 187 assists are second only to Washington's 199 as a freshman. Ennis' 5.5 assists per game have been exceeded by only Washington (6.2) and Hart (5.8). Ennis' 2.1 steals per game are the fourth-highest average for a Syracuse freshman — Hart had 2.8 steals per game in his first year.
Ennis directed Syracuse like a veteran. He exemplified poise and maturity on the court. He never seemed rushed or flustered. He turned the ball over just 58 times in 34 games.
He made big plays to beat St. John's, Miami and Pittsburgh. He produced the highlight of the year with his 35-foot shot at the buzzer to stun Pitt at the Petersen Events Center.
Ennis has a decision to make. He could enter the NBA draft this year or he could return to Syracuse for his sophomore season. He's an obvious first-round pick; the only question is just how high could he go in the draft?
Regardless of whether Ennis stays at SU or heads off to the NBA, he'll have two main objectives this offseason. He needs to add strength, especially to his upper-body, and he needs to iron out the motion on his jump shot, which will help him speed up his release.
Those are two relatively minor areas of need, but given his work-ethic, one would expect Ennis to hit the gym and the weight-room hard.
Next season remains up in the air for now.
If Ennis turns pro, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim will be looking to replace his starting point guard for a third straight year.
Should Ennis return, he will be counted on for on-court leadership, his ability to run the offense and he'll be expected to take on additional scoring responsibilities. In SU's last 10 games, Ennis averaged 16.2 points per game. As he looked to score more, Ennis still kept up his play-making duties, doling out 5.1 assists in those same 10 games and committing just 2.1 turnovers.
In short, Syracuse would have one of the country's top point guards leading a team that would be ranked in the Top 10.