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Oregon's Dylan Ennis, a senior transfer from Villanova, is out for the season after aggravating a foot injury.

(Andy Nelson/AP)

EUGENE -- When Dylan Ennis left a national powerhouse for Oregon, he did so to become a better point guard.

He didn't realize that his injury-filled year in Eugene would turn him into more of a coach.

Ennis, the Ducks' fifth-year senior point guard, will finish the 2015-16 basketball season with two points to his name. He left Villanova, a team now ranked sixth in the country, to hone his skills at point guard with an eye toward his future.

But a broken foot will limit Ennis' first -- and possibly only -- season at Oregon to two games, one basket and 21 minutes.

It's been disappointing, not only for Ennis, but for a first-place Oregon team with shallow depth at the position. But come to a Ducks game at Matthew Knight Arena, or a practice during the week, and there is Ennis, balancing on his scooter, taking in the action.

Ennis won't have an impact on the floor this year for No. 23 Oregon, but the Ducks can't keep him out of the gym.

"When I transferred here," Ennis said on Tuesday, "I wanted to be dedicated to this."

He wasn't, however, prepared for his dedication to be tested this much.

* * *

It was never a comfortable role for Ennis. He could have stayed at Villanova and gotten his minutes for a team with national title aspirations. But the Wildcats were moving away from a standard point guard system, meaning Ennis wouldn't be able to specialize and show the skills that best suit him at the professional level. He transfered to Oregon, a team in desperate need of a veteran guard following the departure of Joseph Young.

During the summer, when Ennis was still jelling with his teammates, he proved himself with his game. Oregon head coach Dana Altman said Ennis was the team's best player during that time.

"You talk about coming to the gym every day and making guys work," Altman said. "I wanted our fans to see that."

They never really got the opportunity. Ennis felt good throughout the fall, but showed up to one practice with a slight pain in his foot. He didn't think much about it since he was still able to sprint and dunk, but he mentioned it to a trainer. After X-rays, they learned the foot was broken. He was shut down for eight weeks.

It was tough, but Ennis hung around. He was at every practice and attended every game, sometimes sitting next to Altman, seemingly as a player-coach.

Altman wanted Ennis around the guys so that when he came back there would be a familiarity with his leadership.

And that's a role that's continued since Ennis came down on the same foot against Oregon State on Jan. 3, reaggravating the injury and ending his season.

"I've been playing for five years now, and all of those years have built up to this one," Ennis said. "I broke down in tears for about five minutes, then I told myself to stay focused on what's next.

"From there, I've been training."

Because Ennis transferred earlier in his career from Rice to Villanova, his redshirt year is burned, meaning that he'll have to petition the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility to come back to Oregon.

Ennis said he will petition for a sixth year, though if it's approved it doesn't guarantee he'll be in a Ducks uniform next season.

"We don't want to close any doors," Ennis said. "All options are our best options. I'm training as if it won't (get approved). In March if they tell me, 'Hey, we didn't get it,' I can finish up my process and turn pro.

"If it does, that's when I sit down and go through my options."

Ennis has envisioned coming back, though. His best friend on the team and roommate is Chris Boucher, who will similarly have to petition the NCAA for another year of eligibility. They've joked that they'll return only if both come back, a proposal that would automatically make Oregon a contender for the 2016-17 Pac-12 title.

Physically, this is a lost year for Ennis, but not mentally. He said watching from the bench has invigorated his point guard mind. He's learned from Altman and said he has a better understanding of how and why plays develop.

"I've turned myself into a coach," Ennis said. "I know how to get it going and read the game. I sat out at Villanova, but I was just a sophomore at the time. I'm a 24-year-old senior now. I know what to look for. I know if I came back this is what I would do in that situation."

But if Ennis doesn't come back, he'll have used his time at Oregon productively. After earning his bachelor's in communications at Villanova, Ennis is getting his master's in conflict resolution. Someday he said he'd maybe like to be an NBA general manager.

"This little bump has opened up other opportunities," Oregon assistant coach Mike Mennenga said. "It's empowered him as that voice. Look at him, he's sitting at the second chair of the bench sometimes. He's a big part of who we are. His off-the-court experience has made it good."

Mennenga was asked how he's felt Ennis has dealt with the situation. Mennenga said that if someone told Ennis before the year the injures would have happened, it would have been devastating. But over the last six months, Ennis has grown to not only accept his situation, but flourish in it.

"He would have been hurt, distraught because he loves ball so much," Mennenga said. "But this has made him appreciate a little bit more about everything that goes around basketball and into it.

"That motivates him and it doesn't take much to motivate him."

-- Tyson Alger

talger@oregonian.com

@tysonalger