The new Fab Melo brought Dion Waiters to his feet. Towel over his shoulder and a water bottle still in his mouth, Waiters stood up off the Syracuse bench in support of the sophomore center’s inspired defensive play.

With 7:32 remaining in Tuesday’s exhibition win over Cal State-Los Angeles, Melo alertly snagged a pass out of the air with his right hand to prevent an easy layup by the Golden Eagles. Scoop Jardine fumbled Melo’s outlet pass, resulting in a steal by CSULA’s Quinton Watkins.

Melo turned and sprinted back after Watkins in an attempt to block the shot. Though he was called for goaltending, pinning the ball after it had already hit the backboard, Waiters applauded this revamped, mobile version of Melo.

‘No, no, no way,’ Melo said smiling. ‘No way. I couldn’t get to that (shot last year). I knew I was going to get a goaltend, but I just wanted to try.’

The slimmed-down Melo played one of the best games of his career Tuesday to help No. 5 SU run away from Cal State-LA 79-49 in its first of two preseason games in front of 8,668 in the Carrier Dome. Shedding 30 pounds in the offseason, Melo was an active and agile center who ran well up and down the floor. He and fellow sophomore Baye Moussa Keita combined for 18 points (14 from Melo) and 18 rebounds in what was a drastic improvement from their performances a season ago.

‘Fab and Baye were real good,’ SU head coach Jim Boeheim said. ‘They were really active. They showed a lot of advancement from last year.’

Melo stormed out of the gates Tuesday with six of the Orange’s first seven points. He showed aggressiveness early on by finishing off feeds from Brandon Triche and Jardine with dunks. And he was alert in catching a bullet pass from Jardine following a fake shot, calmly laying the ball in off the glass.

When the first media timeout rolled around at the 15:57 mark, Melo’s six points exceeded his point total in all but five games of the 2010-11 season. Although the statistics don’t count toward the season, Melo’s numbers showed an improved game.

‘I can run on the court, I can get rebounds, I’m moving better, my reaction is better,’ Melo said. ‘And when I see that, my confidence is definitely better.’

Melo and Keita anchored the Syracuse defense — one that played both man-to-man and zone — by contesting almost every shot. The Golden Eagles managed just three two-point field goals in the first half, due in large part to SU’s shot-blocking ability.

With the Orange in man-to-man defense on its third defensive possession of the game, CSULA attempted to run a screen and roll with point guard Ryan Wetherell and center Carl Hoffman. But as Hoffman took the feed from Wetherell and went up for the lay-in, Melo converged to pin the ball for the block.

Minutes later, Golden Eagles guard Percy Lemle drove through the line after C.J. Fair bit on a pump fake. But Keita was there to extend his arms and alter the shot. Lemle was forced into an awkward scoop shot that barely reached the rim.

Melo and Keita each had a pair of blocks Tuesday, and freshman Rakeem Christmas added three.

‘I feel like we have to send a message early for them to have that mentality that if they go in there we are going to block the shot,’ Keita said. ‘Our goal isn’t to block every shot but to change every shot they take.’

But perhaps most impressive was the expanded offensive repertoire exhibited by each of the sophomore big men.

Keita showed off a soft touch with a right-handed half-hook over Hoffman, and Melo stepped out away from the basket to attempt three jump shots on Tuesday. His first two were missed 15-footers from the free-throw line, but he swished home a short jumper from the right baseline in the second half.

He’s been shooting more often in practice, and he said Boeheim told him if he makes them in practice, he can shoot them during the game.

It’s a dramatic transformation that prompted Jardine to ‘call it out right now’ and predict a big season for Melo in the locker room after the game. After a tumultuous freshman year, he’s put in the work to get his body in the right shape, and his confidence has followed suit.

‘Before he didn’t have no abs, now he’s got like a six-pack,’ Triche said. ‘Just give all the credit to him, the hard work. A lot of people thought it was him not having skills, but he got it there and his stamina is right where it needs to be, his weight is right where it needs to be and it’s coming together all at once.’

mjcohe02@syr.edu

Published on November 1, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Michael: mjcohe02@syr.edu | @Michael_Cohen13