MIAMI, June 28 – The Miami HEAT announced today that they have acquired the draft rights to guard/forward James Ennis (50th overall) from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for a future second round pick.
“We were happy to get into the draft,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “We feel that James Ennis, with his size and athleticism, has a huge upside and someone we hope can develop into a high-quality NBA player.”
Ennis appeared in 67 collegiate games for Long Beach State during his junior and senior seasons and averaged 13.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.67 steals, 1.03 blocks and 31.0 minutes while shooting 49.3 percent from the field, 35.4 percent from three-point range and 78.8 percent from the foul line. Despite playing just two seasons for the 49ers, he finished fifth all-time in free throw percentage, fifth in total blocks (69) and ninth in total rebounds (582). Prior to his stint at LBSU, he played two junior college seasons, first at Oxnard College and then at Ventura College, where he totaled 1,053 points, including scoring in double-figures in 48-of-52 games.
During his senior season at Long Beach State, Ennis appeared in 33 games (32 starts) averaging 16.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.76 steals, 1.30 blocks and 33.1 minutes while shooting 49.1 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from three-point range and 83.4 percent from the foul line. He ranked first on the team in scoring average and rebounds per game. He scored in double-figures in each of his 33 games, including a 29-point, 15-rebound double-double vs. BYU-Hawaii on December 15. He capped his senior year as the Big West Conference Player of the Year.