Kris Joseph, fresh out of the shower, slipped on his gym shorts and popped on a Russian-style fur hat.

It wasn’t that the Syracuse locker room was cold. Joseph just thought he’d be leaving soon for the sub-freezing temperatures outside. So he looked a bit out of place in his fur hat as he held court with an unexpected troop of media.

But after the line he put up in SU’s 86-66 win over Oakland – 13 points, six rebounds and two steals – he had some talking to do. And the freshman was more than happy to oblige.

‘I liked the way I crashed the offensive rebounds, the way I made plays for myself and my teammates,’ Joseph said. ‘So I’m going to keep doing that.’

In a game where the Orange had significant contributions from a number of bench players, Joseph’s play stood out above the rest. And not just because of his reverse dunk midway through the second half, or hanging in the air from one side of he basket to the other for his reverse layup through traffic in the closing minutes of the game.

‘That’s what we need, we need everybody,’ forward Paul Harris said. ‘It wasn’t just him, it was Rick Jackson. We need all of those guys.’

Yet even after a high-scoring night, Joseph maintains that points aren’t his main objective. He still considers players like Jonny Flynn and Eric Devendorf the team’s leading scorers. He’d rather assume the role of playmaker, whether it’s for himself or somebody else.

‘Offensively he’s got a real knack for getting on the boards and being in the right places and the right spots,’ Boeheim said.

Boeheim added that he’s still looking for improvement on the defensive end from Joseph. But after a solid night of scoring, Joseph’s beginning to vanquish some of his early season jitters.

‘I’ve been comfortable since after the (Indiana-Pennsylvania game),’ Joseph said. ‘My role on the team is not to score. Some games I might not come out with double-digits in scoring, I might do other things. I might have five assists and a few rebounds. Coach doesn’t look to me to score.’

Duo down low

Syracuse center Arinze Onuaku had some company down low in Friday night’s game. Sophomore forward Rick Jackson came off the bench to provide a spark for Syracuse, totaling 19 minutes, while the starter Onuaku played 22.

‘He’s got to help us inside, he’s got to be a factor in there,’ Boeheim said of Jackson. ‘I thought he rebounded well in the first half, he played pretty well on the boards.’

Jackson matched his career high for rebounds in the game, and added three blocks – including two on one play – to help key a strong defensive effort for Syracuse

‘I just slid my feet, and I always try to block shots and get rebounds,’ Jackson said. ‘It just worked out for the better tonight.’

More man

Syracuse played predominantly a man-to-man defense for the third game this season, Jim Boeheim found the results, for the most part, favorable.

The head coach noted the effect man-defense had in the Orange jumping out to a 22-5 early lead that helped them key the game. Syracuse was playing against an Oakland squad that worked in isolation, and created numerous one-on-one matchups, in which the Orange played well.

‘For the most part we did a pretty good job keeping guys in front of us, and making them take a tough shot, for the most part,’ Boeheim said.

The players have been generally enthusiastic about their new defense, a departure from Syracuse’s typical 2-3 zone. And they’ve shown that, with solid defensive stands.

‘I like playing man better,’ forward Paul Harris said. ‘Coach gave us the opportunity to play man, and we have to show him we can.’

Tough shooting for Rautins

Sophomore shooting guard Andy Rautins continued his shooting woes from the floor, finishing 2-of-7 from the floor, and 1-of-6 from behind the arc. In Tuesday’s game against Richmond, Rautins finished the game 0-for-7 from the floor.

‘I feel fine,’ Rautins said. ‘…Shots are going to fall, and I try to make up for it with my defense and hustle. If you’re not doing well in one aspect of the game, you can’t just give up.’

Rautins is just over a year removed from a torn ACL that kept him off the court all of last season. In light, Boeheim has been patient, knowing the time it takes for Rautins to once again find his stroke.

‘It takes time to get back,’ Boeheim said. ‘He’ll get back. His defense has been very good, his passing has gone extremely well.’

On to Kansas City

After a one-game break from the CBE tournament, Syracuse moves to Kansas City on Monday and Tuesday to wrap up the tourney. The Orange will face off against No. 18 Florida. The Orange is guaranteed two games in Kansas City. The second will be either against either No. 24 Kansas or Washington.

‘We’re looking forward to going to Kansas City for a really good early-season tournament,’ Boeheim said.

kbaustin@syr.edu

Published on November 21, 2008 at 12:00 pm