Dylan Ennis rejects the ‘dirty play’ label aimed at UCAM Murcia

Dylan Ennis has rejected the suggestion that UCAM Murcia plays “dirty” and said Renfroe brings Sadiel Rojas to mind. The Canadian player posted his response on X, disputing the reputation attached to his team.

“I’m asking a serious question. Do people in Spain really think we play dirty? This is my fourth season with UCAM and I’ve never felt that we have. Yes, we play with intensity; yes, we play a kind of defence that wears opponents down. It’s a different style, but dirty? I don’t agree with that. Am I wrong?” Ennis wrote.

The perception is part of a longer debate about Murcia’s physical approach. In 2022, Jasikevicus said: “We also had to give the hits that Murcia dishes out.”

That same year, Gran Canaria filed a complaint with the single judge over Sadiel Rojas’s “violent and unsporting behaviour”, following an elbow to the face from AJ Slaughter. Rojas’s number 12 has since been retired. Those episodes help explain the reputation Ennis rejects, but do not make it fair in his eyes: he draws a clear distinction between physical commitment and what he considers dirty play.