Chris Lykes dribbled outside the 3-point arc, pumped his head and faked a 3-pointer. It was Jan. 12, and Miami led Wake Forest 42-39 when Lykes crossed over and drove to the basket.

The 7-foot center Olivier Sarr awaited. Sarr had abandoned his man, Ebuka Izundu, on the right block to stop the 5-foot-7 Lykes’ penetration. Lykes lept, dumped it to Izundu, now wide open, for an easy layup.

At Miami and everywhere else he’s played, Lykes has always been one of the shortest players. His size disadvantage fueled Lykes and created his motto, “Heart over height.” Lykes moves quick, attacking with lateral speed on offense and defense. While others focused on Lykes’ height — he was tied for the shortest player in the NCAA tournament last season — he developed into a playmaker. As a sophomore, Lykes averages 18.1 points and 33.5 minutes per game, first on the Hurricanes (9-8, 1-4 Atlantic Coast) in both categories. Thursday night, he travels to the Carrier Dome to face Syracuse (13-5, 4-1), whose point guard Frank Howard measures 10 inches taller than Lykes.

“At my size, it’s not debatable,” Lykes said. “I have to work a lot harder than all the guys on the floor.”

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When Lykes was in ninth grade, he played under-15 AAU basketball for Team Takeover. Lykes was a shooting guard, but eventually needed to switch to point guard. He still had the dynamic scoring touch, but now the “height monster” caught up to him, Steve Turner, Lykes’ head coach at Gonzaga College (Washington D.C.) High School, said.

Lykes and Team Takeover won the King James Shooting Stars Classic in Akron, Ohio, and it transitioned him to a true point guard who can not only score, but facilitate as well. Lykes formed a backcourt with current Butler University point guard Aaron Thompson.

At Gonzaga College, he opened freshman year coming off the bench, but injuries lifted him up the depth chart within weeks. After that, he was a constant in the Eagles starting lineup. In high school, he ran the offense as the primary scorer. His second year at Miami, it’s been the same.

“He always came in with a chip on his shoulder,” Turner said. “He certainly used that (his height) as his motivation.”

When redshirt freshman guard Anthony Mack defended Lykes last summer, he routinely bit the head fakes and drives Lykes packaged together. Last May, Mack noticed Lykes ascend into a leadership role. Lonnie Walker, the former Hurricanes star and No. 18 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, was gone, and Lykes needed to fill in.

This season, Lykes’ playmaking has developed chances for the scorers around him. As Lykes begins his drives, Mack dashes to the corner. He knows that once Lykes breaks past his initial defender, there’s a good chance someone else will slide to help. When Lykes then switches hands and shifts directions, it’s not uncommon for a third defender to scrape down. Then, Mack said, there are two Hurricanes open in opposite corners.

For Lykes, it’s all about staying in attack mode. All the talk about his size has gotten old, he said. He started focusing on what advantages can come from his size a long time ago. Low to the ground. Lateral quickness. A deep shooting touch.

“It’s something you can never ever work on,” Team Takeover coach Doug Martin said. “What he’s doing is 100 percent God-given. Because you can’t get into the gym and work on changing directions and sudden bursts.”

While watching the Syracuse-Duke game last week, Mack saw Blue Devils’ forward Jack White shoot 0-10 from 3-point range. But he also saw Alex O’Connell’s success from behind the arc. In a 62-55 loss to the Orange last season, Lykes went 2-for-10 on 3-point shots, and settled for outside looks instead of attacking the zone. For him to succeed on Thursday night, Lykes will have to resort to his instincts. Spread SU’s zone out, Lykes said, and the gaps will open. Lykes’ dribble drives that start with quick lateral movements, often end with defenders left behind him.

“He’s a pain in the ass for the other team,” Mack said.

Published on January 24, 2019 at 12:59 am

Contact Andrew: arcrane@syr.edu | @CraneAndrew