Former Syracuse standout Tyler Ennis signed autographs and took photos with fans at My Favorite Sports Store inside Destiny USA on Saturday afternoon during his return visit to Syracuse.

After the session ended, he briefly discussed SU’s self-imposed postseason ban.

“It’s tough. It’s a tough situation,” Ennis said, “but I feel for guys like (senior Rakeem Christmas) and guys who got to play in the Tournament for three years in a row and in his last year, he’s not able to.

“I’m hoping in these last couple games, they go out there and show everybody that they’re a Tournament team.”

Ennis would have been on this year’s team, but he left school for the NBA last spring after his freshman season and is now a member of the Phoenix Suns. With time off during the NBA’s All-Star Weekend, he chose to come back to be with his former teammates and interact with fans he never got to meet last year.

He said coming back to Syracuse gave him a chance to work out and conveniently, his time off coincided with the Orange’s matchup with No. 4 Duke in the Carrier Dome at 6 p.m. Saturday. But Ennis said it wasn’t just about seeing the people he spent so much time with last year.

“When I was young, I used to be the same way seeing guys in the NBA and asking for pictures and autographs,” Ennis said. “And now me being in that situation, it’s just a good feeling to know that you’re helping kids out and you’re doing the things that I wish I was able to do with the guys I looked up to.”

Fans of all ages came to get up close with Ennis and although they wished he stayed in college longer than he did, they walked away from Ennis with wide smiles brightening their faces.

Ryan Lanigan, 38, of North Syracuse, brought his wife Nicole and son Braden to get a photo with Ennis after hearing about the opportunity a week ago. The trio has been going to SU games over the past several years.

Ennis helped lead the Orange to a school-record 25 straight wins to start last season, which is what motivated the Lanigans to meet him in person.

“It’ll be cool for my son as he gets older to say hey, there you were with one of the best point guards who ever played for Syracuse,” Lanigan said.

Robin Sheltra, 49, of Sandy Creek, New York, didn’t know Ennis was at the mall, but found out from a stranger who noticed his Orange shirt.

The self-proclaimed “rampant” SU fan enjoyed watching Ennis play last season.

“I really think that’s good that he would take the time to come back and do this,” Sheltra said of Ennis. “It means a lot to the fans. It really does.”

Sheltra plans on saving the shirt as memorabilia by hanging it up in his house and never wearing it again.

Ennis said that during his time at SU, he would watch other former players like Dion Waiters and Scoop Jardine come back and visit Syracuse. He saw how much the fans adored them and wanted to reciprocate all the support that they’ve given to him.

“Once you go to Syracuse and you come here and play well and win games, they love you forever,” Ennis said. “So that’s a good feeling.

“I can always come back here and have a second home.”

Published on February 14, 2015 at 5:19 pm

Contact Paul: pmschwed@syr.edu | @pschweds