Freshman Riley sees increased minutes in victory
DaShonte Riley was a little shocked. When it comes to replacing Arinze Onuaku in games, usually Kris Joseph or Rick Jackson will get the nod.
But with 4:10 left in the first half Sunday afternoon, and Joseph and Jackson sitting on the bench with Riley, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim walked over and told the freshman to replace Onauku. Riley promptly hopped off the bench and took off his orange pullover, playing out the remainder of the first half.
‘I’m not used to it,’ Riley said. ‘But it was good. I just tried to play the best I could for as long as I could, and it was only a couple of minutes, but I tried to help the team as much as possible.’
In a chance to showcase his skills before Big East play starts and the rotation tightens, Riley showed he’s still transitioning to the college game. The center scored two points in 14 minutes in Syracuse’s 75-51 win over St. Francis Sunday at the Carrier Dome. Riley showed signs of promise, while also struggling at times, in his brief stint.
‘I could’ve done a lot better, but I think I did pretty good,’ Riley said. ‘I’m just trying to get in there and get that experience. It’s all a learning process, but I think I did pretty good.’
Riley, a product of Detroit (Mich.) Country Day School, has played in eight games for the Orange this year, primarily picking up minutes against the weaker teams SU has played. He did not play in Syracuse wins over North Carolina and Florida.
On Sunday, he was playing in the first half with Syracuse nursing a 31-21 lead. He only attempted one shot, which was a dunk that gave Syracuse a 35-24 advantage. He struggled late in the contest, failing to haul in a pass that went out of bounds, and losing the ball when he tried to dribble into the lane.
Riley said he is still adjusting to ‘having that dominant instinct all the time,’ which means going for every rebound and blocking shots. At 7-foot, he is the tallest member of the Orange and could develop into a shot-blocking presence in time.
Though Riley may not have had the greatest stat line, Boeheim was pleased to get in players like Riley and fellow newcomer James Southerland.
‘I think it’s good for them to get some experience,’ Boeheim said. ‘And an opportunity to see what they can do and what they need to work on and that’s always good.’
Team improves to 10-0
For the first time in 10 seasons, the Syracuse men’s basketball team is off to a 10-0 start.
The Orangemen won its first 19 games in 1999-2000 before losing back-to-back games to Seton Hall and Louisville. That year, led by leading scorer and rebounder Etan Thomas, SU made a run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, before losing to the eventual national champion, Michigan State.
This year, though, the Orange is out to a stronger start, having beaten three top-25 teams already, whereas the 1999-2000 team didn’t face its first ranked opponent until Jan. 24.
‘It really helps us out knowing that we have those three wins against those teams,’ forward Wes Johnson said. ‘With these early games, we can work on a lot of stuff and have people come off the bench to help us out. It’s good to work our kinks out before we start playing the Big East.’
Johnson plays center
After spending considerable amount of time at the small and power forward positions, Johnson added another spot to his repertoire: center.
With the game well in hand, and Onuaku, Jackson and Riley all resting on the bench, Johnson bumped down to the ‘5,’ a move that may not surprise some, seeing as the 6-foot-7 forward leads the team in rebounding.
‘We can go with a small lineup like that, too, and we’re still really athletic,’ Johnson said. ‘We can rebound the ball and go on runs. Guys are getting steals and getting it into the lane, too. I don’t know if we’ll see that lineup a lot, but it’s good to know it will still work.’
Published on December 15, 2009 at 12:00 pm
