For two games, Hakim Warrick turned it over. Sunday afternoon, he turned it around.

The freshman helped Syracuse win the turnover battle against Binghamton 33-16. Through the first two games, Warrick had turned the ball over eight times in 20 minutes. Sunday, he turned the ball over only twice.

“We were quick to the ball today,” head coach Jim Boeheim said. “We forced a lot of turnovers. We moved the ball well offensively.”

Warrick said after the first two games he received some instruction from Boeheim and assistant coach Troy Weaver, including a video session with the latter. The consensus — just relax.

“I just played within my game.” Warrick said. “I watched a little tape, and I’ve been talking with Coach Weaver. I had been going out of control, so I’ve just been trying to slow it down a little bit and play smarter.

“I rushed it a lot the first two games and in the exhibition, but this time I had my timing rebounding, got some easy baskets and helped the team.”

And the Orangemen will take all the help they can get rebounding the ball. After failing to outrebound both Manhattan and DePaul, SU finally won the rebounding battle against Binghamton, 36-34. Seven rebounds came compliments of Warrick.

Still, Syracuse allowed the Bearcats to grab 18 offensive rebounds.

“We didn’t rebound as well inside as we needed to,” Boeheim said. “That’s something we’ve got to keep working on.”

No doubt Warrick will be doing just that. Fellow freshman Craig Forth, who has started all three games, knows the drill too.

“He’s going to do the same thing I’ve been doing,” Forth said, “which is listen to

everything Coach Boeheim has to say and go with it.”

James Theus knows a little something about turnovers as well. The sophomore has played 89 minutes over the first two games and committed just two turnovers while racking up 19 assists. Theus did not commit his first turnover of the season until just 53.5 seconds remained in the first half against Binghamton.

Theus sent a pass from the right corner through the paint to Billy Celuck. The ball skipped past the long, outstretched arms of the 7-foot center before landing on the Binghamton bench.

Both Theus and Warrick hope they have turned around the turnover problem.

‘I was pretty mad about that,” Theus said. “We got kind of lackadaisical out there,

playing Binghamton. But you won’t see that again.’

This and thatWalk-ons Ronneil Herron and Andrew Kouwe played their first substantial minutes of the season. Herron played the final six minutes of the game and Kouwe the final four. “It felt good to finally play more than two or three minutes,” Herron said. “It lets you get in the flow.” … Freshman Mark Konecny did not play due to what Boeheim described as back spasms. Boeheim expects Konecny to practice Monday. … Syracuse last won the preseason NIT in 1988. Sherman Douglas was the MVP. … In the first half, Binghamton head coach Al Walker yelled to his center Nick Billings, “Nick, you’re the best player on the court.” Perhaps Shumpert’s 36 points later changed his mind.

Published on November 17, 2001 at 12:00 pm