Practice hasn’t officially started yet, but the 2003-04 Syracuse men’s basketball team has already accomplished one thing worth noting:

Despite winning the national championship last season, the Orangemen have managed to create a nobody-respects-us chip on the shoulder.

The reason? When Carmelo Anthony declared himself eligible for the NBA Draft in June, Syracuse basketball lost its personality and its leader.

Even worse, it lost more than 20 points a game.

‘People think we’re nothing without Carmelo,’ SU guard Josh Pace said. ‘They think we’ll be ripe for the kill. We’ve got a lot to prove. Because without Carmelo, everybody’s asking, ‘How’s Syracuse going to score?”

By committee. Syracuse coaches expect Hakim Warrick – who averaged 16 points last season – will score about as much as a year ago. Both Pace and guard Billy Edelin will likely see a drastic hike in their average point total.

‘Everyone thinks you need to have one guy step up with Carmelo gone,’ said Syracuse assistant coach Troy Weaver. ‘People think Hakim is going to see a big jump in his numbers, but he’ll average 18 tops.

‘I see Billy scoring like 14 and Josh scoring 13 or 14. Everyone will play more and score more. But those two guys need to come up big.’

In two seasons at Syracuse, Pace has scored 14 points in a game just once – against Auburn in the NCAA Tournament. He averaged less than five points last year. And, hampered by a jolty, unreliable jumper, he scored almost all his points within 5 feet of the hoop.

To prepare for his increased role this season, Pace went home to Georgia over the summer and attempted to rebuild his jump shot. Convinced that he’d developed a hitch while at Syracuse, he spent full afternoons watching tapes of his old high school games. Then, he’d go to a nearby gym and try to recreate his high school form.

‘I just kept looking, searching for what I used to do that worked,’ said Pace, whose shot still looks about the same. ‘I feel better about my shot now, and I got rid of the hitch. I really improved my confidence. I’m going to prove to people that I can score.’

Edelin has already proved as much – but has yet to show he can score consistently. Last season, he scored 26 points against Notre Dame and twice led the Orangemen in scoring during NCAA Tournament games. He also went scoreless twice in a three-game stretch early last year.

But without fail, Edelin showed an uncanny knack for getting to the basket. The 6-foot-4 point guard routinely posted up smaller opponents, allowing him to go for 10 points in a half without taking a jumper.

‘That Edelin kid scares me to death,’ Rutgers head coach Gary Waters said. ‘Everybody loves to talk about Hakim Warrick, but Edelin can play. He’s going to surprise people this year. He could even be their leading scorer.’

Said Weaver: ‘We don’t have Carmelo. But people are going to see that we have some other guys who can score and contribute.’

DARRYL WATKINS

Add to that list of contributors freshman Darryl Watkins – a 6-foot-11 center who hadn’t even signed with Syracuse when school ended last year.

Watkins, from Paterson Catholic High School in New Jersey, inked with Syracuse in late May after the two schools he liked best – Pittsburgh and North Carolina – underwent coaching changes.

Ranked the 35th best recruit in his class by PrepStars.com, Watkins joined forward Terrence Roberts, forward Demetris Nichols and guard Louie McCroskey to complete the Orangemen’s freshman class.

‘Syracuse just made perfect sense,’ said Watkins’ dad, Darryl Watkins Sr. ‘Some places, he could have walked in and had a starting spot. At Syracuse, he’s going to have to push for minutes, and we liked that competition.’

Watkins averaged 16 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks as a senior. According to the Syracuse coaches, he’ll push incumbent centers Jeremy McNeil (a senior) and Craig Forth (a junior).

‘We think he was the best center in the country,’ said Syracuse assistant coach Mike Hopkins. ‘His potential is through the roof. His basketball game flows beautifully.’

Then again, basketball has always come easily to Watkins. Class work has not.

Watkins floundered academically during his freshman and sophomore years of high school, forcing him to eventually transfer. Still, during his senior year at Paterson Catholic, Watkins made the honor roll both semesters.

‘He doesn’t really have to work at basketball, but he has to keep focusing on school work,’ Watkins Sr. said. ‘He’s gotten better at that. He’s learning that, if you want to prove your special on the court, you’ve got to get by in the classroom.’

This and that

Weaver, who still talks to Anthony twice a week, predicts this for the former Syracuse star’s rookie NBA season with the Denver Nuggets: ‘He’ll win Rookie of the Year. And I bet he scores like 18 to 20 points per game.’ … Roberts, who will see time at power forward, packed 20 pounds of muscle onto his once-wiry frame over the summer. Warrick, who played around 190 last season, is up to 213 … Because of renovations to Manley Field House, Syracuse basketball players have been forced to work out at either Flanagan Gymnasium or the Women’s Building.

Published on September 2, 2003 at 12:00 pm