GALLOWAY, N.J. — We are coming down the home stretch in the recruitment of point guard Tyler Ennis and no one is working harder than Syracuse and Illinois.
Syracuse assistant Adrian Autry (pictured above watching Ennis Thursday) has shadowed the 6-foot-3 point guard all July, and Illinois coach John Groce and his staff have also been a constant presence.
“I think Illinois and Syracuse have been everywhere we’ve been so far this summer,” Tony McIntyre, Tyler’s father and the CIA Bounce coach, told SNY.tv here Thursday at Live in AC at Stockton College.
“Both of them are viable options and we really gotta sit down and look at it in August. [Tyler] wants to do it before he goes back to school.”
Louisville is also recruiting Ennis, but is not here at this event.
A tremendous floor leader who led St. Benedict’s Prep to a 35-3 record last season, Ennis this month led his Canadian team to the final of the Nike Global Challenge and CIA Bounce to the final of the Peach Jam.
They came up short on both occasions and are now looking for a title before July ends. CIA Bounce is playing here without star Andrew Wiggins, and will then return this weekend to their home event in Toronto, where Wiggins is expected to re-join the team.
Autry plans to be in Toronto, too, and that isn’t lost on Ennis, who grew up a Syracuse fan and attended his first college game at the Carrier Dome.
“[Autry] told me before the summer that he’s going to be at all the games,” Ennis told SNY.tv. “Everywhere I go he’s gonna go just to show that they want me. So seeing him there at the game and a couple others, that’s awesome.”
For Ilinois, Groce and assistant Dustin Ford were here Wednesday, and Ford is back Thursday.
UCLA assistant Scott Garson, Memphis assistant Aki Collins and Virginia assistant Jason Williford were also here.
“A lot of coaches have been following me,” Ennis said. “[Syracuse] and Illinois really been following me everywhere. They’ve been at all the games, so I think those two have been at every single game, and Virginia, too.”
***For SNY.tv.’s exclusive video documentary on Canadian point guard Tyler Ennis, click here.
