Harris overcomes recent woes, pops off for 16 point

By: Kyle Austin and Jared Diamond

Posted: 3/2/09

Maybe Paul Harris didn't eat a big enough breakfast before Sunday afternoon's game. Because with about five minutes remaining in the first half, after point guard Jonny Flynn missed a free throw, Harris took a handful of popcorn from a fan in the front row and started munching on his way back to play defense.

The way he played in Syracuse's 24-point blowout over Cincinnati, Harris may have earned the right to grab a snack during the game. He scored 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting in just 23 minutes of action, highlighted with a show-stopping finish on an alley-oop from Flynn in the second half, eliciting an ovation from the Carrier Dome crowd.

"A fan actually asked me if I wanted some, and I was in the heat of the moment, so I just had some popcorn," Harris said.

It was an all-around eventful afternoon with Harris, who was involved in more than just eating and scoring against the Bearcats. With 5:27 remaining in the first half, Harris was slammed hard to the ground by Cincinnati guard Alvin Mitchell while going up for a layup and flew over the cameramen sitting on the baseline. The officials ruled an intentional flagrant foul on Mitchell, and he was ejected from the game. Harris was uninjured.

Harris was especially important in the first half, when Syracuse built up an insurmountable 23-point lead. He attempted just one field goal before halftime, but hit six free throws and had eight points. Harris was subbed out with more than eight minutes remaining in the game, with the Orange up by 30.

But in the locker room after the game, all anyone wanted to hear about was the popcorn, not Harris' play on the court. The most pressing question: What exactly did SU head coach Jim Boeheim say after Harris' antic?

"Nah, I can't say it on camera," Harris said.

More minutes for Joseph

Kris Joseph has spent the past few weeks just waiting for a tap on the shoulder. The Syracuse reserve forward felt it Sunday, and made the most of it by scoring eight points in nine minutes.

"I was just waiting for my turn, my number to get called," Joseph said. "And when it did I didn't hesitate."

After a strong start to the season, Joseph had been hindered by a shoulder injury (he said Sunday that he's back to 100 percent) and seen his minutes take a nosedive.

After averaging nearly 19 minutes per game during the non-conference slate, Joseph has not played more than five minutes in the last six games. After scoring four points in 21 minutes on Jan. 28 at Providence, Boeheim said Joseph is "not ready for these games."

Sunday, Boeheim had some different words.

"I think he's learning," Boeheim said. "He had a real good effort out there; there wasn't a lot of time."

Big East bye all but secured

Syracuse went into Sunday's game tied with Cincinnati and West Virginia for seventh place in the Big East standings. Following the win, the Orange is in a strong position to finish the regular season among the top eight teams in the league. Under the rules of the newly expanded Big East tournament, which starts March 10, the top eight teams receive a first-round bye.

The Orange is now tied for sixth in the conference, and has recorded wins over the three teams directly below it in the standings. With two games left in the regular season, one of which against 15th-place Rutgers, the Orange has the inside track for the first round bye.

"That'll be very important," Flynn said of the bye. "In a league like this, we kind of beat up on each other. Just to get a bye for a day or so, it's going to be good for our legs and good for our team."

Gabor's number retired

Billy Gabor, Syracuse's first-ever 1,000-point scorer, had his No. 17 lifted into the rafters during halftime of Sunday's game. Gabor stood at midcourt alongside Athletic Director Daryl Gross and watched the curtain lowered to reveal his jersey alongside the eight other retired basketball numbers.

"I've been waiting for this to happen, hoping it would happen, and finally it's happened and I'm so very happy," the 87-year-old Gabor said after the ceremony.

Gabor played for Syracuse from 1942-48 (he missed two seasons while in military service), and finished with 1,344 career points. Gabor played six seasons in the NBA with the Syracuse nationals.

jediamon@syr.edu

kbaustin@syr.edu