NEW YORK – That guy wearing No. 34 for Syracuse on Friday night against Florida, that’s Demetris Nichols.

I’m sure some people were confused by the 6-foot-8 man who pumped 3-pointers with ease like he’d been there and done that before.

Nichols has put on performances like that plenty of times in practice, but he’s never done it on a stage like New York City in front of a primetime national television audience. The Nichols on display at Madison Square Garden in the championship game of the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer had confidence and swagger.

Nichols wasn’t in the locker room after the game, at least by the time this writer could run there. Surely, he wanted to leave as the opportunity presented itself. One of the quieter members of the Orange, Nichols probably didn’t want any attention. That’s fine, as long as the Nichols on the court at MSG on Friday continues to show up the rest of the year.

And there isn’t any reason he can’t perform at the same level. For the first time in his career, Nichols has certainty. If he misses a shot, he doesn’t have to worry about being pulled from the game immediately. Nichols can play loosely and when he plays loose, Syracuse is a much better team.

‘It was a tough couple years for him coming off the bench trying to find himself,’ guard Gerry McNamara said. ‘But now he’s playing so good, him being in the center of it all, he’s really taking advantage of that. I think he feels comfortable, and that’s half the battle. If he feels comfortable, he’s going to be dangerous.’

Just look at Friday night. Nichols made four 3-pointers in the first half. He finished the half with 18 points. He made half of the shots he took. His hand was so hot I waited for the ‘NBA Jam’ announcer to pop out of the crowd and yell, ‘He’s on fire!’

OK, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but look what happened to the Orange in the second half. The law of averages caught up to Nichols and he cooled off. SU’s offense stalled and the Orange lost the game. Nichols scored six of SU’s 26 second-half points.

SU forward Terrence Roberts was hesitant to heap glory on Nichols. Roberts is all about the team and, despite his classmate’s performance, didn’t want Nichols’ best effort to date tarnished by a loss.

‘Demetris played outstanding, but I don’t know if you can call it a breakout game if you lost,’ Roberts said.

It may not be a breakout game, but in Nichols’ up-and-down Syracuse career, it was a start toward the biggest upswing yet.

Syracuse isn’t complaining. Even though the Orange lost to Florida, 75-70, head coach Jim Boeheim spoke about how the tournament was a learning experience for his team – a team without a defined style. More and more, it seems Nichols is the perfect candidate to step into a defining role on this team.

The difference between this year’s Nichols and last year’s is more than a change in number. The difference is confidence. He even found the time to join Roberts and guard Eric Devendorf in reciprocating trash talk the mouthy Gators sent SU’s way. Last year Nichols was too worried about finding the floor, let alone participating in some jawing.

‘He’s been shooting the ball well everyday in practice,’ Boeheim said. ‘He got some shots (Friday) and he can make those shots. This will help his confidence.’

Who knows what will happen if Nichols continues to make shots. All that’s sure is Nichols will go as far as his confidence takes him, and confidence is something this Syracuse team in transition needs desperately.

Rob Anthes is an assistant sports editor at The Daily Orange, where his columns appear occasionally. E-mail him at ranthes@gmail.com.

Published on November 19, 2005 at 12:00 pm