NEW YORK — It’s been nearly four months since Tyler Ennis declared he was leaving Syracuse for the NBA Draft. 

Now, just one more day stands between him and his aspiration of being an NBA player. 

“I know I’m going to be real nervous, but I’m going to try to enjoy it and take in all the excitement,” he said. “You only get to do this night once.

“People dream every day about sitting in the green room and getting their name called and tomorrow that’ll become a reality.”

The former Orange point guard was one of 20 top draft prospects who fielded questions at a media session Wednesday afternoon at the Westin Hotel in Times Square. The countdown to Thursday night’s NBA Draft draws closer and closer, and the excitement in the fifth-floor ballroom was tangible.

There was plenty of talk of who the No. 1 pick will be and where Ennis himself might land, but the former SU point guard also reflected on his brilliant freshman season at Syracuse.

“The bond and the chemistry and the team we had didn’t make it any easier,” Ennis said of his decision to go pro. “Looking at it in a professional way, I think it was the best decision for me to enter the draft. I got to do what’s best for myself.”

Ennis came to Syracuse having to fill the shoes of Michael Carter-Williams, who was a lottery pick in last year’s NBA Draft and went on to win the league’s Rookie of the Year Award.

Despite the pressure to replace his predecessor, the freshman seamlessly established himself as the SU offense’s facilitator and as one of the best point guards in the country. And when the Orange needed him to score, Ennis delivered huge baskets — none more emphatic than the buzzer-beating, 35-foot heave to stun Pittsburgh — to lead Syracuse to a 25-0 start and the No. 1 ranking in the nation.

“Playing with that much talent on one team is something that’s similar to the NBA,” Ennis said, “and as a point guard I think it’s a lot easier when you’re playing with talent. Syracuse helped me out a lot with the players that we had.”

But the latter portion of the year was not as glorious as Syracuse was dealt an early exit in both the Atlantic Coast Conference and NCAA tournaments. Ennis took the final shot of Syracuse’s season — an errant 3-pointer that would’ve beat Dayton — then announced his decision to go pro five days after the season ended. 

While he proved his poise on the court over and over again, there are questions about his shooting stroke and his ability to play defense at the NBA level — but they’ll be answered soon. His professional career is approaching. 

But Ennis won’t forget the one year he spent as one of the SU community’s most beloved figures.

“I’m going to miss the people of Syracuse. They took me in. They supported me in my one year,” Ennis said. “I have a lot of people I think are going to be best friends with me through my whole life that I spent a lot of time with at Syracuse.

“I’ll definitely make my way back there and spend some time there.”

Published on June 25, 2014 at 4:17 pm

Contact Phil: pmdabbra@syr.edu | @PhilDAbb