In the bowels of the Carrier Dome when Syracuse hosted Texas Christian on Saturday night was a television in the media workroom tuned to No. 4 Villanova hosting No. 5 Okalahoma. The Wildcats beat the Sooners with an offense that featured four guards.

A perimeter-oriented offense is not entirely conventional. With the right personnel, though, it’s very practical – not to mention effective.

Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim is increasingly playing a similar offense, with different combinations of Gerry McNamara, Demetris Nichols, Eric Devendorf and Josh Wright becoming the focus of the offense from the perimeter. It’s a brilliant move by the Hall of Fame coach, playing right into the strength of the Orange – 3-point shooting and countering its weakness post-play.

‘We have to use our perimeter guys and find our big guys when they’re in open situations,’ Boeheim said after the Orange beat TCU, 80-64, with impressive 3-point shooting by Nichols and Devendorf. ‘We’re not good in there, but you know, Villanova’s not good in there either; they use their perimeter guys.’

It’s a different situation for Syracuse, who is in their first season without All-American Hakim Warrick. Throughout Warrick’s career, he was consistent as an interior force. The Orange also lost center Craig Forth, a reliable presence albeit unacclaimed.

‘Last year, we only had one option from the perimeter, but obviously we had a better option inside, so if we didn’t shoot the ball well we could get it inside and score,’ Boeheim said. ‘That’s where we’re struggling right now. We get it inside, but we’re not catching it.’

Syracuse’s two primary post players are forward Terrence Roberts and center Darryl Watkins. The combination, both juniors, is very impressive defensively but still developing on offense.

Roberts seems at his best either as a garbage man – getting rebounds and putbacks – or in transition where his freakish athleticism is on display. But it’s undisputable the Orange’s best scoring options are from the outside, at least at this point in this season.

‘We have a lot of different lineups where we have four shooters on the floor,’ McNamara said. ‘I think that can be an advantage for us. I think if (Boeheim) feels we can go four out and get a couple of looks, we’re going to be dangerous. Andy (Rautins) came in and hit one right away. Josh and Eric can hit them. Demetris obviously can hit them. So we have a lot of guys who can play four out, one in.’

Comparing SU’s options – the four aforementioned guards along with junior Louie McCroskey, who’s been a contributor in the past, and freshman shooter Andy Rautins, who’s still developing a well-rounded offensive game – to Villanova’s is a bit of stretch, but the idea is right. College basketball has become a guard-oriented game. Most of the top post players either forgo college or enter the NBA early in their careers. It renders teams with strong interior presences, like Connecticut, a rarity. It makes teams with strong guards, like Villanova, a contender.

But even if it wasn’t a trend in college basketball, just the idea of the shift is evidence of Boeheim’s savvy. The prevailing question heading into the season was who would complement McNamara. But members of the media seldom discussed how Syracuse could get the most out of McNamara. And according to the senior, other shooters on the court can help maximize his abilities.

‘I love other people getting the attention,’ McNamara said. ‘The more attention they get, the less I get. That means more open 3’s, and hopefully that’s the case.’

After Saturday night’s shooting display, you can be sure McNamara’s not the only one hoping.

Zach Berman is an assistant copy editor at The Daily Orange where his columns appear occasionally. E-mail him at zberman@syr.edu.

Published on December 4, 2005 at 12:00 pm