CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Boston College’s Steffon Mitchell spied the opening and darted. He moved between Marek Dolezaj and Bourama Sidibe, gathered an offensive rebound and finished the put-back.

At the other end of the court, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim simmered. “C’mon,” he yelled before plucking Quincy Guerrier off the bench.

Later in the half, BC’s Jay Heath eyed the rim from the high post and Sidibe noticed. The Orange forward climbed the paint, extending his 6-foot-10 frame with a small hop. He registered one of his team-leading 40 blocks on the season, helping the Orange to a 13-point victory.

In those moments, Sidibe and Dolezaj faced the split-second decision that concerned SU’s frontcourt dozens of times in the game and hundreds more throughout the season: stay stationary or leave your feet for a swat?

“I try to make sure that by the time they release the ball, I’m there,” Sidibe said. “Then I have a chance to get it because I’m long.”

Syracuse’s quartet of blockers — Sidibe, Dolezaj, Elijah Hughes and Quincy Guerrier — approach that split-second differently. Some, like Sidibe, have used fearless play to become more active. Dolezaj and Hughes, though, analyze each situation on its own. The Orange have recently buoyed their season-long issue with a few highlight rejections. But as with most things with a young, inconsistent team, there are drawbacks to each approach.

This season, Syracuse’s (17-13, 9-9 Atlantic Coast) 134 blocks put it on pace for fewer than in 2018-19. Yet, they’ve kept a consistent block percentage — or the rate that field goals are deflected — that’s helped mask some interior issues in conference play. The Orange rank 43rd in the country in the category (7.7%), a number that’s climbed higher in the last week. SU’s percentage is over six percent higher since conference play started, ranking only behind Florida State and Virginia, per KenPom.

“It’s hard,” Dolezaj said, “you just try to jump and time it right. I don’t want to say our blocks are great. I just (mostly) try to stay on the ground.”

SU’s starting frontcourt has grown weary of official’s whistles, so Dolezaj has established a quasi-mental checklist to decide how he’s going to contest a shot. When he’s running at a shooter, mostly along the 3-point line, Dolezaj’s more willing to leave his feet, he said. But if he’s behind a ball-handler, either on a breakaway or down in the post, he’ll rely on his arms. He’s tested opposing players to see if they can shoot over him.

Sidibe has been willing to leave his feet all season. He defines himself as a shot blocker, something that’s followed him throughout his basketball career. Yet, experienced forwards have exploited his jumps for pump fakes and sent the junior into foul trouble.

In the first half against BC, Sidibe lunged for a mid-range jumper and slapped the hand of an Eagles’ shooter. And in the waning moments of the same period, he went up for a two-handed pin and whacked an arm, earning an exasperated arm raise from Boeheim.

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Sidibe’s replaced Paschal Chukwu (57 blocks) as Syracuse’s interior leader. And Dolezaj already has 10 more (26) than he did all of last season. While Dolezaj is content with disrupted shots that don’t necessarily equal a block, Sidibe’s tabbed his hot stretch as a chance to build on a career high.

Hughes (25) and Guerrier (23), however, pick their spots more selectively knowing that shot blocking isn’t their strength. Guerrier has followed coach directives to rebound more, and the added paint presence has triggered an uptick in chances. Late in the first half against Notre Dame on Jan. 4, a UND guard fired a quick pass into the low block and Boeheim’s eyes darted to the paint.

Guerrier rotated late, but a hop-step closed the gap. The freshman forward later said that he knew John Mooney would go up for a lay-up and not a dunk. Guerrier stuffed the attempt off the backboard. It set Hughes up for a 3 and later spurred Guerrier to another block later in the game after Hughes executed a textbook drop-step swat.

“I feel like I have a good sense of timing,” Hughes said. “Blocked shots are nothing but timing.”

Hughes said he doesn’t think about blocks before they happen. He relies on his athleticism and ability to anticipate. He cracked the highlight reel in the Barclays Center with a trail-down block and muscle flex on Nov. 29. And on Feb. 1 against Duke in the Carrier Dome, he tipped a 3-point shot on one possession before sending another into the stands.

It was a highlight moment in an eventual Orange loss, but the momentum swing kept SU within reach. As the ACC tournament nears, more highlights may spark a run.

“The problem is sometime I’m not in the right spot,” Sidibe said. “If I’m in the right spot, no matter who you are, I’m gonna block.”

Published on March 4, 2020 at 11:15 pm

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