Many of the opportunities Dion Waiters has had to finish emphatically at the rim have been cultivated by the sophomore guard himself.

He intercepted a pass by George Washington forward Nemanja Mikic in the second half of SU’s win last Saturday, allowing him to run ahead of everyone else on the court and reach back to slam home another two points for Syracuse. It was a glimpse of his ability to control both ends of the court.

‘His defense is the biggest improvement he’s made,’ SU head coach Jim Boeheim said following the GWU game. ‘I think that’s the one reason he didn’t get on the court a lot of times last year, his defense wasn’t good and he’s bought into defense.’

The totality of the play left GWU guard Aaron Ware standing behind Waiters after the dunk, shaking his head. Not only was Waiters scoring, but he recorded six steals in the Orange’s win over the Colonials — a testament to the menace he has become defensively. Waiters leads the nation with 6.4 steals per 100 possessions, according to Sports Illustrated. The sophomore is a chief reason why the Orange leads the country with 12.3 steals per game, limiting opponents to less than 70 points in all but one game this season.

And he’s a big part of why Syracuse (10-0) is undefeated and No. 1 in the nation as the team prepares for its first true road test of the season. The Orange travel to Raleigh, N.C., to play North Carolina State (6-3) on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. in the RBC Center.

Waiters has improved his offense some — from 41 to 50 percent shooting from the field — but the real progress has been made when Waiters doesn’t have the ball. He’s suddenly finding ways to take it away from the opposition.

‘I just try to be physical on defense and I just try to get a lot of steals, I guess,’ Waiters said.

Against two quality opponents in the semifinals and final of the NIT Season Tip-Off, Waiters came up with three steals in each game. In the first half against Virginia Tech, after forward C.J. Barksdale came down with an offensive rebound, Waiters took it away when he attempted to dribble.

He pushed the ball out in transition and went to the rim, handing the ball off to SU forward Kris Joseph under the hoop for a layup.

Hokies head coach Seth Greenberg was blown away by Waiters’ abilities.

‘The guy is a beast,’ Greenberg said. ‘He attacks in transition, he attacks off ball screens. … To be, to have the ability to have a guy like that come off the bench, he can single-handedly change a game. He’s kind of an Energizer Bunny on the offensive end of the floor.’

As Syracuse gets set to take on its second Atlantic Coast Conference opponent of the season, Waiters’ defense is even more fine tuned. George Washington had no answer for Waiters or any of the SU guards, giving the ball away 18 times.

Those turnovers led to 34 points for Syracuse. The Orange won by 35 points, routing the Colonials 85-50. In the first half, Waiters finished a fast break after a steal by SU guard Michael Carter-Williams, and then swiped the ball from Jabari Edwards and went to the hoop for another score in transition.

‘Knowing where the ball’s at and knowing where you’re at on defense,’ Waiters said after SU’s win over Virginia Tech of his improved defense. ‘It’s so much easier now, learning from last year, I’m more fast, I’m more quick. I’m getting to the spots.’

There’s still room for improvement, but it may actually be more in Waiters’ offensive game. He has 15 turnovers this year, including two three-turnover games. His strong defensive play has overshadowed the offensive miscues.

With Syracuse leading GWU 65-38 in the second half last Saturday, Waiters stole the ball from Colonials guard Bryan Bynes. He pushed the ball up the left side of the court.

But as he got to the hoop, Waiters threw a no-look pass over his right shoulder to SU forward James Southerland. The pass even caught Southerland off guard, although he managed to secure the ball, make a basket and get fouled.

The play also left Boeheim in a state of bewilderment. The head coach simply placed his hands on his head in agony, even during the blowout win.

‘He’s playing good defense. I think he has the potential to be a really, really good defensive player and a better offensive player,’ Boeheim said. ‘I think that’s still something he’s working on.’

mcooperj@syr.edu

Published on December 15, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Mark: mcooperj@syr.edu | @mark_cooperjr