John Gillon sped past his Syracuse teammates while warming up. The full-court jog called for him to expend only a portion of his energy, but Gillon didn’t care. It’s not in his nature to ease up. Twenty-three days before his Orange debut, the newest Orange point guard already vowed to give his all.

“I’m going to go harder than anyone else,” Gillon said to assistant coach Adrian Autry without slowing down.

As Gillon kept running during SU’s first practice on the Carrier Dome floor this season, director of operations Kip Wellman took note.

“That guy is wild, man,” Wellman said to Autry.

Gillon’s wild season had begun. In the third game, he fumbled the ball out of bounds in front of Jim Boeheim. The 41-year head coach immediately subbed out Gillon 24 seconds after he entered. “Are you crazy!?” Boeheim said.

At the next media timeout one minute later, Boeheim spoke to Gillon at the end of the bench. Afterward, the point guard sat back down and tapped both fists against his head. Assistant coach Gerry McNamara patted Gillon on the knee while he tucked his face inside his jersey.

Gillon repeatedly has made the best of circumstances. He transferred to Syracuse after spending one year at Arkansas-Little Rock and three at Colorado State, twice giving himself a chance to move to a higher level of competition. But in college basketball’s best conference, the journeyman has had the most turbulent season of any Orange player.

Now with three regular season games left in his career, Gillon’s job is simple: Command Syracuse (16-12, 8-7 Atlantic Coast) from the point guard position and provide the consistency he’s lacked for most of the year. Should he do that, SU will have a chance to squeak into the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season in what would be Gillon’s first-career Big Dance.

“I just try to control what I can control,” Gillon said.

Jacob Greenfeld | Asst. Photo Editor

Since taking the reigns of the team by entering the starting lineup on Jan. 4, he’s averaged 12.3 points and a 2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio in 34.6 minutes. All season, point guard production has been the biggest question surrounding the Orange. Sometimes, Gillon has been the answer. Other times, the man motivated by letdowns suffered one after the other.

Against South Carolina, the Gamecocks dared Gillon to generate offense by attacking the basket. He attempted one shot and committed five turnovers in Syracuse’s first loss of the season. The Orange had to “look in the mirror” and improve.

A week later, his grandfather died. Gillon, distracted, didn’t want to use it as an excuse, but in a two-game stretch he went 0-for-4 from the field, didn’t score a point and committed two turnovers. Against Boston University, the day of his grandfather’s funeral, Gillon scored 23 points in what was his best performance of the year. The next day, he flew home to Houston for the burial ceremony.

Despite Gillon’s flashes of potential, Syracuse’s season teetered on catastrophic. Following SU’s 33-point loss to St. John’s — its worst home loss under Boeheim — Gillon said “I’ve got to figure out a way to just (score more).”

Eleven days later, the Orange lost by 15 points at Boston College. Gillon, who shot 2-of-10, knows it’s a point guard’s responsibility to lead, but he didn’t do it. The transition to his third school in five years wasn’t as smooth as he had hoped. While fellow graduate transfer Andrew White fit seamlessly as a key piece in Syracuse’s offense, Gillon battled for playing time with sophomore Frank Howard. Boeheim said the Orange “deserved to be right where they are,” and needed better point guard play.

In the season’s first two months, Gillon floundered while rarely playing more than 10 consecutive minutes. The point guard tug-of-war with Howard bothered him. On the court, he wondered when he’d sub out. On the bench, he wondered when he’d sub in.

“You always want to be in the game if you’re a competitor,” Gillon said. “That’s what I try to be.”

Colin Davy | Asst. Photo Editor

Playing time wasn’t the only thing Gillon was uncomfortable with. The Houston native wasn’t prepared for his first Syracuse snowfall and said he needed to make a trip to Walmart to stock up on proper equipment and clothing. He also wasn’t used to the attention he received from fans.

He’d never played in front of as many people that fill the Dome and a month in to the season, he shot back at Twitter trolls. After a program-worst five nonconference losses, SU’s players were aware they weren’t living up to the standard established by their predecessors.

“How generational, how deep rooted, how passionate the fans are,” Gillon’s mother, Phyllis, said of what her son had to learn.

“We don’t want to be on the wrong side of history.”

Following the abysmal loss to Boston College on New Year’s Day, Boeheim picked Gillon as the sole point guard in the starting lineup for the first time all season. Eight points, 11 assists, 39 minutes and a win. Boeheim did it again three days later. Twenty points, 11 assists, 40 minutes and another victory. That’s when Gillon cemented himself as Syracuse’s starting point guard.

“I just wanted to set the tone in practice, set the tone when we play,” Gillon said. “Just getting on my team as the point guard, I’m not allowing for little stuff to go.”

He set the tone in the Orange’s recent five-game win streak, too. Gillon orchestrated two pivotal possessions down the stretch to seal a five-point win over Wake Forest. He scored 21 against then-No. 6 Florida State, including SU’s last 13. His late 3-pointer against North Carolina State sent the game into overtime and he finished with 43 points in what immediately became known as The John Gillon Game.

“Coach Boeheim is a tough coach to play for as a point guard,” White said, “because you’re expected to run a team that’s expected to win. That’s something he’s finally come to grips with.”

Jacob Greenfeld | Asst. Photo Editor

Three straight losses to Pittsburgh, Louisville and Georgia Tech put Syracuse back on a slippery slope entering the final stretch of the regular season. Still, Gillon is motivated by the people who told him he’s too small or too slow, the ones who ruled out an unlikely SU climb back into Tournament contention. Gillon still isn’t afraid to take the last shot in a game — he’s still the wild man Wellman noticed.

“The minute he loses that chip,” former AAU coach Jawann McClellan said, “he won’t be the same player.”

One hundred twenty-two days since vowing to go hard in October, Gillon fulfilled his plan. He knows his team needs him as the season seesaws between NCAA Tournament berth and disappointment. He earned his way into the starting lineup by impressing in practice and remains animated while training.

On Friday in the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center, Gillon demanded that two team managers push him harder. They held cushioned pads to bump players while dribbling toward the rim. The 6-foot Gillon yelled “They’re too small!” and urged them to whack harder. The managers tried but couldn’t rattle him. He’d already weathered the expectations of a tradition rich fan base, the wrath of a head coach with a short leash and the gauntlet of the nation’s best conference.

Now Syracuse needs Gillon to be steady after a season filled with highs and lows.

“The journey has been,” Phyllis Gillon said before hesitating. “We’re still writing the book … Every game we turn a page, and I think that’s a great analogy of what John’s journey has been. The book is still in progress.”

Published on February 21, 2017 at 11:30 pm

Contact Paul: pmschwed@syr.edu | @pschweds