To hear Craig Forth’s description, it sounds as if the Syracuse 7-footer spent a summer taking dance lessons.

“There were 12 moves, some harder than others,” he said. “It took a while to get the footwork down.”

But instead of learning the swing or samba, Forth was working on the dribble and drive. The sophomore spent a week of his summer in Hawaii at the much-heralded Pete Newell Big Man Camp, the ultimate offseason haven for centers and forwards looking to add — or simply refine — their games.

Much of the camp was focused on footwork and moves away from the basket, skills many larger players often ignore.

“In general, nobody expects big men to have footwork outside the paint,” Forth said. “So that was a lot of what we worked on, and almost all of it was new to me.”

But with those new skills, a lot is suddenly expected of Forth. Last season, he started every game for the Orangemen, leading the team in blocks but averaging just 4.9 points per game. Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim routinely clings to the mantra that, especially in a physical conference such as the Big East, most big men need at least one season to develop.

Especially with Forth’s offseason progress — working out almost every day for most of the summer, Forth added 30 pounds of muscle — Boeheim predicts that Forth should increase his production from last year.

“Craig is much bigger this year, he’s much stronger and he’s much improved,” Boeheim said. “We’re going to expect some things from him.”

The camp, which ran from Aug. 12-16 under the guidance of Newell, a former coach at California and legendary teacher who just celebrated his 87th birthday, also featured players such as Michigan State forwards Aloysius Anagonye and Adam Ballinger.

Initially, it was Forth who brought up the idea of participating in an offseason program. Assistant coach Mike Hopkins helped make the arrangements — following a blessing from Forth’s parents, who had to foot the bill for travel to Hawaii.

“I am very fortunate because my parents are willing to bend over backward for me,” Forth said. “My mom just gave me a kiss and said ‘Don’t forget to call every night.’ ”

Count Hopkins among the thankful.

“There’s really no direct way for kids to get better over the summer, because their own coaches can’t work with them,” Hopkins said. “That’s why these camps can be so helpful.”

Sims favors Boston

Potential basketball recruit Courtney Sims is still scheduled to visit Syracuse two weekends from now, but he may already be looking hard at another Big East school.

“Boston College is probably the frontrunner at this point,” said Michael Herring, the head coach at Noble and Greenough, Sims’ high school.

That’s because the Eagles recently landed Steve Hailey, a friend of Sims’ and a point guard on his AAU team.

Noble and Greenough, located in Dedham, Mass., is just a half-hour drive from the Boston College campus.

At 6-foot-11, Sims would be the ideal forward or center that SU seeks to complete its recruiting class, a group which currently includes 6-foot-7 Demetris Nichols and 6-foot-4 Louie McCroskey.

At least two other players, Chris Taft and Terrence Roberts, are also scheduled for official visits in the next few weeks.

“We’d like to get something done as soon as possible,” said Hopkins.

If that means with Sims, Syracuse would be delighted.

Herring said that recruiters are attracted not only to Sims’ size, but also to his ability to learn quickly.

“He’s an incredibly coachable kid,” Herring said, “maybe the smartest kid I’ve ever worked with. On top of that, I don’t know how many guys in the country can shoot the three, shoot a mid-range jumper, post you up and then put the ball on the floor.”

Trivia question

This year Syracuse opens its season Nov. 14 with a game against Memphis. When was the last time the Orangemen lost a season opener? Answer at the bottom.

Nice to OCC you

Syracuse may have yet to decide on its starting guards, but that didn’t prevent it from adding a backup.

Tyrone Albright led the nation in assists the last two seasons at Onondaga Community College, and will attend Syracuse this year as a junior, Hopkins said.

Albright, though, is not the typical junior — or the typical college basketball player. He’s 26 years old, he’s married and he has three children. Syracuse was a perfect fit, in part, because he can remain close to his family.

“He’s the type of guy that could have played at some other Division I schools, potentially as a scholarship-type guy,” Hopkins said. “But it was a situation where he was from around here, and this was where he wanted to play.”

Last year, Albright led OCC to an 18-13 record, averaging nearly a triple-double per game with 10.4 points, 12.7 assists and 7.2 rebounds. The 5-foot-11 guard will attend Syracuse on an academic scholarship, counting as a walk-on for basketball. The Orangemen currently have two walk-ons, Andrew Kouwe and Ronniel Herron.

This and that

So much for taking it one game at a time. Carmelo Anthony, SU’s blue-chip freshman, is already looking to March. “Carmelo’s already talking about the Final Four,” Forth said. “But I’m not willing to confirm or deny those affirmations.”

Trivia answer

Syracuse last dropped the first game of its season in 1994, when it fell in overtime, 111-104, to George Washington.

Published on September 3, 2002 at 12:00 pm