More than three minutes had already gone by in Wednesday’s game, but Jim Boeheim wasn’t sure if Arinze Onuaku realized it. After watching Onuaku allow an offensive rebound and then follow with a foul, Boeheim had a question for his center before putting him on the bench.

‘Arinze, are you gonna play tonight?’ Boheim yelled. ‘You gonna play tonight, A.O.?’

When Onauku re-entered the game more than three minutes later, he showed his coach that he just needed some time to get his feet wet.

Onuaku paced the Orange with 14 points in the first half and helped Syracuse cruise to a 100-60 victory over Robert Morris at the Carrier Dome. Onuaku shot 7-of-8 from the field and hauled in five rebounds in just 19 minutes of action. He only played for three minutes in the second half, spending most of the time relaxed in his chair wearing a blue pullover, with a white towel wrapped around his neck.

‘I guess they say if he’s not on you, he doesn’t feel that you can be great, and I know coach expects a lot from me, and he stays on me a lot, and that gets me going, too,’ Onuaku said. ‘He told me early to go out there and dominate the game, and that’s what I tried to do.’

After sitting in Boeheim’s doghouse for several minutes, Onuaku flexed his muscles against a smaller Robert Morris team. He parked his 6-foot-9 body in the lane and gobbled up all the easy baskets.

A nice drive by point guard Brandon Triche resulted in an easy lay-up and a free-throw shot. A hook shot resulted in a quick bucket for the big man, and Triche later found him for a slam that galvanized the crowd.

Onuaku’s crowning moment came with Syracuse leading, 46-32. Several Robert Morris defenders collapsed towards Onuaku in the post, but he moved away and put up a hook shot with his right hand that went home and drew a foul. Point guard Scoop Jardine came over and punched Onuaku several times, showing excitement for the big man’s play.

Robert Morris simply had no answer for Onauku, who had an inch and 50 pounds on the Colonials’ tallest and heaviest player.

‘He was just active, he was ready tonight,’ forward Rick Jackson said. ‘I told him when you get the ball, just go up with it. Don’t worry about missing, we’re cleaning up. And he took that and ran with it. He was a big force down there tonight.’

Besides his offensive attack, Onuaku played a key role in helping Syracuse’s outside shooters find their rhythm.

On Syracuse’s first possession, Onuaku turned the ball over and Boeheim indicated to him that several Robert Morris defenders had collapsed on him in the paint, leaving the wings open.

This became a recurrent theme in the game. Since no Robert Morris defender could contain Onuaku, or Jackson for that matter, the Colonials collapsed on the big men whenever they touched the ball. This allowed the outside shooters to get open and shoot a blistering 52 percent in the game.

Point guard Brandon Triche complimented Onuaku on his ability to run the floor. He said this was the best he’s seen the big man all year, and he noticed that the defenders were committing to Onuaku, leaving other players open.

For Onuaku, it was all part of the plan.

‘That’s what we’ve been doing all year, we’re trying to get the ball in there early and establish we can score on the inside,’ Onuaku said. ‘Today, Rick and I were catching the ball, they were sending four guys, Andy and Wes got wide-open 3’s, and they are going to make them.’

Onuaku is now shooting 87 percent (13-of-15) through Syracuse’s first two games, while averaging 14 points and just 21.5 minutes per contest. This should keep his balky knees fresh for the grind at the end of the season. Onuaku had surgery on his right knee during the offseason.

Boeheim said his center still needs a lot of work, but that he looks better. Still, Onuaku is games away from being where the Orange needs him to be. Even after two solid games, Onuaku agrees with his coach on this one.

‘I’m doing alright,’ Onuaku said. ‘I still got some ways to go. It doesn’t feel like it used to feel yet. I’m still working and waiting on that feeling.’

mrehalt@syr.edu

Published on November 11, 2009 at 12:00 pm