Tyler Ennis Excited to Play For Boeheim's Army in 2022 TBT

The former Orange star point guard hopes to lead Boeheim's Army to a repeat title.

With just over a week until Boeheim’s Army’s first game in The Basketball Tournament, players are preparing to head back to ‘Cuse. For one of them it’s been a while since they’ve been in the salt city.

Tyler Ennis played for the Orange from 2013-2014 before being picked 18th overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2014 NBA Draft. He went on to spend some time in the G-league and now overseas for a Turkish league.

The last few years have been tough for Ennis both because of the pandemic and injuries.

He broke his leg back in 2018 which then required a year of rehabbing to get back into shape. He then played a season before COVID hit, and after he got back to playing he tore his achilles.

Ennis says he is not going to let any of that stop him though, he is just ready to get back out there on a court in the states.

“Looking forward to just getting back out there, and play, and kind of show everybody where I’m at.”

The former Syracuse player had wanted to play for Boeheim’s army the last few years, but his schedule and life did not quite align with taking advantage of the opportunity.

“I think I kind of jumped at the chance to be back in Syracuse and be around the city because I haven’t been back in so long.” He said. “The game being in Syracuse kind of played a big part for me and deciding to play.”

The last time Ennis was in Syracuse was the year after he left, seven years ago in 2015. Getting to play in this city again is one of the things that made it so easy for him to say yes this year.

“Being able to go back to Syracuse and put on that jersey is something I’ve missed and I’m excited to get back to this tournament,” Ennis said.

Only four players are returning from last year’s title-winning team, but Ennis doesn’t think that’ll have any effect on their goals in 2022.

“I think we all have the goal of winning, I think we all expect to win or at least get really far in the tournament," Ennis said.

Looking back at his time in Syracuse Ennis has a lot of fond memories, both on and off the court. One of his most memorable basketball moments happened right in the Carrier Dome.

“The Duke game was an experience I’ll never be able to replicate, with just the magnitude of the game, and our first year in the ACC, the fans, everything," Ennis said. “It was one of the most exciting games in my life.”

Of course, you can’t forget about his almost half-court buzzer beater against Pitt. The moment still lives in his mind, and the minds of many ‘Cuse fans.

“On the anniversary of that shot I always see a million posts and a million @’s," he said.

Syracuse fans haven’t forgotten about Tyler Ennis and he has already seen a ton of support online before he’s even arrived for TBT.

“I feel the love from the fans regardless of not being back in Syracuse, and even just on normal basketball posts on social media. He said. “I think there’s a never ending love for Syracuse on my part but also for the fans toward me.” 

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