NPH catches up with Dylan Ennis: Witness Rice Commit against Canada’s Finest at All Canada Classic
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TORONTO,ON–Dylan Ennis was meant to perform on the big stage and now the kid from Canada will get his chance to shine in the NCAA, suiting up for Rice University in 2011-2012.
“I’m looking forward to playing on the big stage. I’ve waited my whole life to play college ball and now it’s finally here.”
Dylan had a long list of schools interested and it made the decision extremely hard. He was recruited by several mid-major NCAA schools in the states such as: Akron, Ohio, Nebraska, UNI, Wisconsin-Green Bay, College of Charleston, UIC, UNC-Ashville, TCU, Creighton, St. Bonaventure, Rice and a few more.
Although he had plenty of options, Dylan felt that the recruiting process was a positive one as he had the opportunity to meet a lot of great people and visit various schools.
In the end, Dylan decided that Rice would be the best fit.
“Rice just felt like a family to me. It wasn’t just coaches and a team it was more than that,” explained Ennis
“They [Rice] are on the rise. Coach Braun has done great work with the team and I think that we will be a NCAA contender in the future. Also having the opportunity to start right away was a big factor. They are willing to put the ball in my hands and let me run the show.”
The relationship that Dylan has with Coach Braun was a major pull factor to Rice.
“He’s a great coach and an amazing person…we call each other back and forth just to check up on each other because we want to have that point guard and coach connection on and off the court.”
Dylan attended Lake Forest Academy in Illinois and had a successful senior season going 20-4 and was regarded as the best player in Lake County.
Moving forward to next season, he is excited to play in a tough but underrated nationally C-USA conference.
“I can’t wait to be playing in C-USA, my toughness will help me adapt to the game quickly. And I think in a few years C-USA will be mentioned with the other big conferences…the teams are steadily rising in national rankings each year.”
While Dylan possesses extreme confidence in his abilities, he is aware that there is room for certain areas in his game to be maximized.
“I want to work on being a lock down defender. Although I can play defence, I want to be able to lock down a team’s best player and still be able to run my team on offense.”
Expectations are high next year as Ennis feels his Rice squad will make noise in the C-USA conference– in hopes of playing in March.
In the meantime, the summer will be a busy one as Dylan will entertain a jam-packed schedule.
“I will be heading down to Rice on June 4th to take a couple summer classes, as well as train with the team. On June 20th I will be back for a couple days to participate in the All-Canadian Classic.”
At Rice, Dylan will be taking Sports Management, which comes to no surprise
“I want to stay involved in the game of basketball if I don’t play professionally; whether as a coach, scout, or agent.”
Look out for Dylan Ennis, suiting up for the Rice Owls in the upcoming season as they attempt to reach the month of March in times for the madness.
NOTE: NPH CIS #7-Ranked prospect, Dejan Kravic is heavily being recruited by Rice, and could end up as the second Canadian on the squad, joining Dylan Ennis.
PHOTO COURTESY: D1NATIONHOUSTON
