It’s hard to put a price on a national championship, but Hakim Warrick is hoping it costs him about $1.3 million.

Warrick, who passed on the NBA draft when he announced on April 29 he would remain on the Syracuse men’s basketball team for his senior year, chose to stay at SU in large part because he wanted to add another championship ring to his fingers.

‘Definitely, I think we are one of the front-runners for the national championship,’ Warrick said. ‘We all know each other’s game and we feel comfortable together. This team has pretty much played together for the last three years, so I think the experience will definitely be there for us.’

And talent. Syracuse returns every scholarship player other than Jeremy McNeil, who came off the bench for Craig Forth and should be easily replaced by either Terrence Roberts or Darryl Watkins.

If Billy Edelin returns, Syracuse will in effect return six starters – Edelin started each game he played before sitting out because of personal reasons, making room for Demetris Nichols – and 96 percent of its scoring. It’ll also add freshmen Josh Wright and Dayshawn Wright (no relation). Josh Wright, a point guard from Utica, could push to join the starting lineup.

With Warrick, a third-team All-American who led SU with 19.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, back in the mix, SU has a fighting chance to vie for the title it failed to defend last season.

Warrick, who had until May 10 to make his decision, said he decided to stay an Orangeman three days before he made the official declaration.

‘When it was all said and done, I really enjoy being here and being at Syracuse,’ Warrick said. ‘I enjoy college.’

All the same, he likely would have enjoyed achieving his dream and making millions of dollars. Had Warrick decided to leave Syracuse for the NBA, popular opinion said he would have been a late first-round choice in the draft.

That made the decision difficult for Warrick, but it will have to wait a year.

‘It was a tough decision,’ Warrick said. ‘A lot of people said that I could have been in the first round. It’s been a dream of mine to play in the NBA. I realize that I’m really close, but I think we have a good shot at winning the national championship next year and I’m so close to graduating.’

Warrick said he needs just 15 credits to graduate, a normal semester’s workload. Warrick, who took several summer courses during his career, might have been on pace to graduate a year early from SU had he not tried out for the U.S. junior national team, said Kino Terrell, Warrick’s high school coach.

Before Warrick made his announcement, he had told only roommates Josh Pace and Andrew Kouwe. The rest of the Orangemen found out for certain last Thursday.

‘I think they pretty much knew,’ Warrick said.

Warrick informed SU head coach Jim Boeheim he would return the previous Monday. Warrick said Boeheim’s past dealings with players in a position to choose between college and the NBA greatly helped ease his decision.

‘He told me he would be there for me if I stayed or if I went,’ Warrick said. ‘I talked to him a lot through this whole process, and we thought it would be best for me if I came back for my senior year.’

During his final season, he wants to add weight to 6-foot-8, 185-pound frame and continue to improve his blossoming perimeter game. At the start of the season, Warrick practiced mostly with guards. By season’s end, his strength and ability to draw – and most times beat – double teams became too valuable to play Warrick outside.

‘Hopefully, I can have another injury-free year,’ Warrick said. ‘I feel like next year I will have a better chance of being a little bit higher draft pick, so that factored into the decision, too.’

SU associate head coach Bernie Fine agrees. With Warrick’s pterodactyl-like wingspan and otherworldly jumping ability, his NBA stock will only increase as Warrick continues to polish his game.

‘I really believe that Hakim Warrick has the biggest upside of any player we’ve ever had here at Syracuse,’ said Fine, who’s been at SU for 28 years and coached forwards like Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Coleman and Billy Owens. ‘Carmelo was great when he came here. He was very good. But I think that Hakim is one guy where the sky is the limit as far as his upside.’

Asst. sports editor Scott Lieber

contributed to this report

Published on May 5, 2004 at 12:00 pm