Through clenched teeth, Craig Forth pretended the sing-song sound of a few hundred fans serenading him with a chorus of boos escaped his notice.

“They were getting on me?” Forth asked quizzically.

Too bad the look of disdain and frustration on his face betrayed him.

Forth, who played just 13 minutes in the Syracuse men’s basketball team’s 98-68 win over Colgate on Tuesday, has struggled mightily this season, mostly because of an injury to his right achilles. The resulting harsh treatment from the Syracuse fans has turned Forth from an amiable 7-footer into a facetious cynic.

“I don’t respect the fact that they’re going to boo,” senior Kueth Duany said. “He busts his tail every day in practice and in school just to play on the Syracuse Orangemen. As a teammate and a friend, I’m on his side.”

So, apparently, are Syracuse coaches. Forth has started all three of SU’s games, playing a total of 55 minutes. In that time, he’s connected on just 2 of 12 shots and grabbed eight rebounds.

Against Colgate, Forth was removed four minutes into the second half and never returned. He finished with two points on 1-of-3 shooting.

Adding insult to Forth’s injury, an ensemble of boos rose from the stands after each of Forth’s close-range misses.

“That really bothers me,” fellow sophomore Hakim Warrick said. “They’re going after him, but it’s a team.”

“He can make that short-range jumper,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said. “He’s not making that right now, but that’s not surprising, because he hasn’t had a good ankle for so long. He’s not going to be real good offensively, at least for a while.”

Against Colgate, Forth struggled defensively, too. Colgate’s small front line, centered by 6-foot-8 Andrew Zidar, drew Forth toward the perimeter, where his lack of quickness neutralized his effectiveness.

Also, the Orangemen went with a man-to-man defense almost exclusively while Forth was in the game.

He’s better, Boeheim said, in a zone.

“That is not a good game for him to judge him in because that’s not his strength,” Boeheim said.

It may be best to withhold all judgements until Forth’s achilles heals. After all, as a healthy freshman last season, he started all 36 games and averaged 4.9 points and 4.5 rebounds. He also led SU with 65 blocks.

But in August, Forth injured the tendon playing in the Empire State Games and has dealt with the soreness since.

During SU’s exhibition games, Forth taped his leg practically from ankle to knee. He’s since ditched the excessive tape.

Earlier this season, Forth was sidelined five days in hopes that rest would relieve the inflammation, Boeheim said. It did, but as soon as Forth returned, so did the pain. It might not heal all season.

“It’s still there, still stiff,” Forth said. “It is getting better. My body’s got to get back, that’s all.”

“He knows it’s going to hurt,” Boeheim said. “He needs to get used to moving and playing with the pain.”

Seems he’ll also have to get used to fans giving him a hard time every time he steps on the court.

Sure, as he comes to the bench Duany will tell him, “Pick your head up. Forget what they’re saying. You work too hard.”

And in practice, teammates will encourage him as they watch his marked improvement.

But it won’t relieve the inflammation of his right leg or the frustration of what Forth says is the most difficult stretch he’s faced since coming to SU.

“Oh yeah,” Forth said. “By far.”

***

This and that

Syracuse football player Xzavier Gaines worked out with the men’s basketball team yesterday, perhaps in hopes of joining the team soon. Boeheim said Gaines, a redshirt freshman third-string quarterback, is “working out for a while.” At practice yesterday, he wore a No. 4 warmup jersey. Gaines played basketball in high school, averaging 25 points at Westfield High in Houston. He spoke earlier this season about playing for the SU basketball team. “Obviously, basketball, that’s my No. 1 love,” Gaines said in September. “It’s always part of me. I’m not ready to give that up yet. If opportunities popped up for me to play basketball here, I’d definitely look into that.”

Published on December 4, 2002 at 12:00 pm