Oregon Basketball: Dylan Ennis granted sixth year of eligibility

Oregon basketball point guard Dylan Ennis played in just two games last season.

Oregon took one step closer to a possible Pac-12 title on Thursday evening, as point guard Dylan Ennis announced that he received a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA.

It's official! I will be an Oregon Duck next year! Thank you @NCAA for another opportunity. But most of all, THANK YOU GOD! #GoDucks 🙏🏾
— Dylan Ennis (@canadiankidDJE) June 30, 2016

The Brampton, ON native played just two games last season for the Ducks due to a significant foot injury. Ennis played just 21 minutes combined in those two outings, scoring just two points while having a very limited impact on the game.

Ennis began his college career at Rice, where he averaged 8.5 points per game and played nearly 30 minutes per night. He later transferred to Villanova and became one of the key cog’s in the Wildcats’ rotation during his junior campaign. The lead guard averaged a career high 9.9 points, while he shot 42 percent from the field and 36 percent from long range.

Even though Ennis doesn’t possess the greatest athleticism or quickness in college hoops, he is smart, experienced, tough, is a solid scorer and is reliable with the ball in his hands. He can play either backcourt position, which will help balance Tyler Dorsey and Casey Benson’s time on the ball, and also give Dana Altman’s squad the much-needed versatility.

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Looking at the big picture, Oregon has an opportunity to make major noise nationally in 2016-17. Ennis is not going to be a star for the Ducks, but he is a major piece to the puzzle, giving the team a complete roster filled with depth, experience and talent.

Oregon only lost Elgin Cook and Dwayne Benjamin off last season’s Elite Eight NCAA Tournament team (they lost to Oklahoma), and still maintain the services of Dillon Brooks, Dorsey, Benson, Jordan Bell and Chris Boucher.

Altman also adds a solid recruiting class made up of the likes of shooter Payton Pritchard, small forward Keith Smart, center Michael Cage Jr. and one of the top JUCO players in the country, Kavell Bigby-Williams.

This not only means that Oregon is the favorite in the Pac-12 (over a talented Arizona squad), but it also means that the Ducks are capable of making their first Final Four since 1939.

While last season was a great opportunity as a number one seed, the Ducks never had the chance to play deep in the NCAA Tournament with this particular group. Now that they have dealt with the pressure and expectations, Oregon can use their loss to Oklahoma as motivation, while also knowing what they can expect to face on that type of stage.

No the Ducks aren’t better than Villanova, Duke or Kentucky, but they surely are apart of that “second tier” in college hoops.

Next: 2017 NBA Draft predictions for Kentucky

And the addition of Ennis confirms that.

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