C.J. Fair tracked Donte Greene’s every move last year.

Fair, then a sophomore at Baltimore City College High School, didn’t care whether Syracuse’s star freshman made the shots he took. He loved the freedom – the fact that Greene was allowed to roam inside and outside and seemingly shoot at will.

‘I watched (Greene) a lot,’ Fair said. ‘Coach (Jim) Boeheim let him play. Not crazy shots. But he had a lot of freedom.’

Now, Fair will follow in his fellow Baltimore native’s footsteps. The 6-foot-7 junior forward committed to SU this past weekend, joining guard Dion Waiters in the 2010 class.

Syracuse’s forward-friendly offense appealed to the versatile Fair, and after talking to coaches directly about the Xs and Os this weekend, he made his decision.

‘I liked the way they laid the gameplan out,’ Fair said. ‘If I were to come there … they said I’d have a good opportunity to start. They run their offense through their forwards. That fit me really good.

‘Other schools didn’t say I’d have a green light there like I would at Syracuse.’

There were plenty of ‘other schools,’ wooing Fair, who averaged 20.3 points and six rebounds per game last year while leading Baltimore City College to the state semifinals. Fair had already visited Louisville and Virginia prior to Syracuse last weekend, while Kentucky, Florida, North Carolina State, Maryland and Wake Forest had high interest.

Syracuse coaches told Fair – a four-star recruit on Scout.com – he’d have a shot to start immediately. He’d heard this before. But while other schools recruited other prospects freely, Fair said SU fished for recruits conservatively, picking and choosing its fights.

Fair fits the mold of the athletic, wing player that Boeheim covets. Two years ago it was Greene. This year it was Mookie Jones and Kris Joseph. Next year, it’s James Southerland. In two years, Fair.

Watching Jones at practice Friday, Fair said he hopes to fit into a comparable role.

‘I see the similarity in our games,’ Fair said. ‘I can play all positions. I’d say my strongest positions are the 2, 3 and the 4. I can take my man from the outside, shoot outside and then I can go down low and have a mismatch down there.’

Duane Davis, head coach of Fair’s AAU team, the Baltimore Stars, admits he’s biased. But after coaching several Division I prospects, including Braxton Dupree (Maryland), Dino Gregory (Maryland), Brian Johnson (Delaware), Ricky Harris (Massachusetts) and Dejuan Goodwin (Marist), Davis said Fair stands out. The high school freshman who was torched by Greene and Virginia Tech’s Malcolm Delaney in a summer game two years ago has a ceiling that’s still growing.

‘C.J. has a great upside because of his height and the fact that he’s so versatile,’ said Davis, who used the word ‘versatile’ four times in a span of two minutes while describing Fair. ‘He’ll probably be about 6-8 by the time he finishes filling out. He can score in bunches.’

But Fair won’t be playing basketball until at least winter break. After tearing his ACL during a scrimmage last spring, Fair is still rehabbing. He goes to physical therapy three times a week, and on weekends, Fair works with a personal trainer in the pool. Last week he jogged for the first time.

‘He doesn’t want to rush it back to the high school basketball scene,’ Davis said.

After visiting Louisville and Virginia with Fair, Davis could tell immediately that Fair was intrigued by Syracuse. Syracuse assistant coach Rob Murphy ‘really laid out their plans for him.’

Fair was sold. He attended Carmelo Anthony’s homecoming Friday, taking in the Denver Nuggets exhibition against the Phoenix Suns.

‘The trip was really exciting, especially going inside of the Carrier Dome,’ Fair said. ‘That was a beautiful feeling going in there. I felt like it was a great environment.’

Davis claimed the allure of following Anthony, a fellow Baltimore native, wasn’t a factor.

But after seeing Anthony play Friday, one day before giving Boeheim his word, Fair himself hinted that ‘Melo was a factor. Another Orange forward Fair aims to emulate.

‘I saw how Carmelo (Anthony) loves them up there and saw where he comes from. I can really relate to him,’ Fair said. ‘Yeah, it had a little edge to it.’

thdunne@syr.edu

Published on October 20, 2008 at 12:00 pm