Ennis, along with family and friends watched the draft from his home in Ventura. After a long wait, he finally heard his name called, just before 9 pm when the Atlanta Hawks selected him with the 50th pick in the second round.
His performance during the 2013 campaign garnered him the player of the year while leading the 49ers to the regular season conference title. Ennis averaged 16.5 points per game and grabbed 6.7 rebounds per game. He was also proficient defensively as he led the Beach in Blocks (48) and steals (58).
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"The feeling's crazy," he said. "I took the long route (playing in high school, then Ventura College and then finally at Long Beach State.) just to get drafted which was my dream.
Just minutes later, the Hawks would then trade Ennis to the two-time world champions Miami Heat.
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"(At first) it was shocking (because i was traded) but then i get to play with LeBron (James) and help them go for the three-peat."
49er head coach Dan Monson added "he could not have gone to any better place, with role models on the team such as LeBron James and Dwayne Wade. Its a perfect situation for him to succeed."
During his tenure at the Beach, Ennis led the 49ers to back-to-back regular season conference championships and an NCAA tournament appearance, the school's 11th.
Ennis' performance has even drawn praise from opposing coaches such as Carolina head coach Roy Williams.
"James Ennis has played very well against us the past couple of years," Williams said. "I can see his skill set fitting in the NBA."