He’s been readmitted, reinstated and reoriented.

Now, Billy Edelin just wants some more playing time.

“I was feeling comfortable, and I only got 15 minutes,” Edelin said after the No. 15 Syracuse men’s basketball team beat Michigan State, 76-75, on Sunday. “I guess I can’t really argue with coach, but I did what I could when I was out there.”

Frequent solid performances like Sunday’s might garner the freshman point guard more time, but such outings have been interspersed with uninspiring ones, like his two-point game against St. John’s last Tuesday.

A month and a half since his return from a 12-game, NCAA-imposed suspension, Edelin remains a question mark. If his recent statistics fail to make that point, the up-and-down appraisals from SU head coach Jim Boeheim should.

“I just can’t figure out what his comfort level is, what it’s going to take,” Boeheim said after the 66-60 home win against St. John’s. “What we’re asking him to do is the most difficult thing you could ask anyone to do, to go out there and play after sitting out a year and a half.

“It’s been a constant, every-day struggle for him. He’s doing as well as he can to get through it.”

After the Michigan State game, Boeheim’s tone switched from confusion to assertiveness. He shot down a reporter’s suggestion that Edelin struggled.

“I thought he struggled pretty good today,” Boeheim said sarcastically before changing topics.

Edelin’s performance at Michigan State justified Boeheim’s mood swing. The freshman guard scored 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in 16 minutes. Though he turned the ball over twice, he nabbed two steals and dished two assists.

His best helper came in the second half, with the score tied at 61. Edelin spotted Jeremy McNeil under the basket and flung a pass to the open center, who converted with a dunk.

That came in the midst of a six-point spurt from Edelin that helped SU fend off the hot-shooting Spartans.

After MSU rallied for a lead, Edelin nailed a floater in the lane to put SU up, 59-58, with 13:02 left. On the next SU possession, Edelin used his trademark cut to the basket, turned and hit a shot that stretched the Orangemen’s lead to three. Minutes later, he drew a foul and hit two free throws to put Syracuse ahead, 65-61, with 10:17 remaining.

Overall, his economical 10-points-in-16-minutes performance perhaps exemplifies just what SU wants from Edelin. Guard Josh Pace, whose minutes have dwindled since Edelin’s return, played a similar role last season and earlier this year.

But unlike Pace, who thrived in such a role, Edelin has felt stifled coming off the bench.

“It’s hard when you’re coming off the bench,” SU assistant coach Troy Weaver said. “It’s hard feeling your way. But I can’t argue with the way he’s been playing.”

Said fellow freshman guard Gerry McNamara: “When he gets out there for good amounts of minutes, that’s when he’s at his best. When he’s in and out, it’s kind of tough to get used to it.”

Because of Syracuse’s crowded backcourt, Edelin might have to. Edelin, McNamara, Pace and senior Kueth Duany all clamor for minutes.

If the Orangemen employ an occasional three-guard set — as they sometimes did against Michigan State — that might help.

But Edelin — who also endured a year-long suspension from Syracuse last season — has grown accustomed to uncertainty. He declined to guess if his playing time might rise this season.

“You always think so, but I don’t really know,” Edelin said. “Everything since I’ve been at Syracuse has been up and down, so I don’t really know.”

Published on February 24, 2003 at 12:00 pm