DENVER – Known for his acrobatic dunks and ‘8-foot wingspan,’ – as Brigham Young senior Mark Bigelow guessed during a recent press conference – Hakim Warrick likes making highlight-reel plays.

So when there was 8:44 left in Syracuse men’s basketball’s first-round tournament game against BYU, which SU led by seven, Warrick saw a shot go up and jumped, looking again to wow the crowd.

Instead, he enraged most pro-BYU onlookers.

Warrick palmed a shot attempt – blocking it and grabbing a hold of it at once – and most of the BYU faithful saw a goaltending violation and screamed at the ref for swallowing his whistle.

Warrick, though, saw it differently.

‘No, that wasn’t goaltending,’ Warrick said, devilish smile shining from ear to ear. ‘I’d be surprised if that ball had even reached the rim.’

Warrick wasn’t given credit for a block, even though no goaltending violation was called.

After the play, the fans got on Warrick, too.

‘It was fun,’ Warrick said of the atmosphere. ‘I just loved every minute of it.’

Big Brazilian

Add Warrick to the list of players impressed with BYU senior Rafael Arajuo.

‘He played very well,’ Warrick said. ‘He has a great touch on the outside and great footwork. He’s really strong, and he can play against any big man in the nation.’

Araujo, a likely NBA draft first-round pick, tore SU apart underneath with 24 points on 9-for-15 shooting and 12 rebounds. He could have inflicted even more damage, but he either sat on the bench or played with four fouls for nearly the entire game.

The air up there

Considering BYU’s home record, Syracuse was lucky to escape with a win.

That’s because the Cougars, who finished 13-0 at home this year, visited the Pepsi Arena just five days ago, as a participant in the Mountain West Conference tournament.

‘You know, we do feel more comfortable here,’ BYU senior Mark Bigelow said. ‘This (was) our fourth time on the floor here, and it’s nice.’

Said BYU coach Steve Cleveland: ‘Our team is much more relaxed playing here.’

One of the adjustments teams must make is to the altitude. With thinner air, fatigue can become a problem quicker.

SU coach Jim Boeheim maintains that, like in 1996 when SU won two games in Denver in the NCAA Tournament, there would be no problems.

Junior Hakim Warrick agreed.

‘It’s high altitude,’ he said. ‘That’s something we’ve got to get used to, I guess. If (Carmelo Anthony) can get used to it, anybody on our team can get used to it.’

Guards Josh Pace and Gerry McNamara each played 38 minutes for SU. Neither showed signs of fatigue.

Helping hand

Anthony may have dropped the Syracuse jersey, withdrawn from the university and moved 1,600 miles west. But SU still hoped the former freshman phenom could lend a hand.

Anthony has built quite a fan base in Denver, leading the Nuggets to the No. 8 playoff spot in the NBA’s Western Conference.

Though Anthony was flying between Boston and Detroit on Thursday as the Nuggets prepared to face the Pistons, Warrick talked to the rookie and asked him for some help.

‘We’re not gonna be able to see him,’ Warrick said, ‘but hopefully he can send some fan support our way.’

Yesterday, the BYU fans about equaled SU’s. Both schools filled two sections worth of support in the lower deck.

This and that

BYU has made the tournament two straight years, though it didn’t win either game. Coach Steve Cleveland is now 0-3 in tournament action. … Miami (Ohio) senior Wally Szczerbiak was the last person to score 43 points in an NCAA Tournament game. He did so in 1999 against Washington. … A customer pulling up to the Pepsi Center offered one student reporter $1,000 for his press pass before the game. After a moment’s consideration, the reporter graciously declined.

Published on March 18, 2004 at 12:00 pm