It took Tyler Ennis just 14 seconds on Tuesday to do the one thing he couldn’t in his regular-season debut against Cornell.

After a near turnover during the opening possession against Fordham, Ennis spun away from his defender and darted to the rim for a layup — his first career bucket.

“There was opportunities for him,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said. “I think he had some opportunities to get to the rim better and he finished.”

There were a lot of things that Ennis did right in his debut. On Friday, he grabbed rebounds — eight — and dished out seven assists. He only turned the ball over twice and, for the most part, controlled the game even as the Big Red put a scare in Syracuse.

But his first basket remained elusive until the opening seconds of the Orange’s 89-74 win over Fordham. He followed up an 0-for-6 debut with a 16-point performance — one that matched Jerami Grant for second on the team — and revealed a previously unseen dimension of his game.

Ennis still grabbed four boards, handed out five assists and grabbed four steals, but the 16 points on 4-of-8 shooting were what silenced any concern.

“I just focus on winning, doing my job, making sure my teammates get the ball,” Ennis said. “If I’m creating for my teammates then I’m happy. If my team needs me to score and I’m not scoring, that’s when I’m not playing well.”

Ennis didn’t think about the elusive basket — he’s still more concerned with facilitating. But when the opportunities arise, he proved that he’s able to take advantage.

“He’s more relaxed and he got some good opportunities,” Boeheim said. “He’s a good player. He’ll score.”

Published on November 12, 2013 at 11:54 pm

Contact David: dbwilson@syr.edu | @DBWilson2