Before Billy Edelin won a national championship, before Jay Bilas called him half of the nation’s best offensive backcourt and even before Edelin met Gerry McNamara, there was Rashard Carruth.

When Billy Edelin played at Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., he teamed with the sweet-shooting Carruth to form one of the best prep backcourts in the nation. Edelin was the quintessential penetrate-and-dish point guard, creating open 3-pointers for the fearless Carruth.

‘That’s why I know how to play with a guy like Gerry,’ Edelin said. ‘Those are the two best shooters that I’ve played with. It’s extremely similar.’

Now, with McNamara filling the role of Carruth and the Oak Hill Academy jerseys replaced by Syracuse uniforms, Edelin again finds himself one half of one of the best backcourts in the country. A pair of sophomores, Edelin and McNamara, will debut as SU’s starting backcourt when the Orangemen open their title defense Wednesday night against Charlotte. Tip-off is at 7 in the Carrier Dome.

Playing with a 3-point ace like McNamara – who made 36 percent of his 3-point tries last season – suits the slashing Edelin perfectly. When Edelin collapses a defense, he can kick it out to McNamara. And McNamara’s range, which extends to 30 feet, keeps defenses honest and lanes open for Edelin’s drives to the basket.

‘A guy like Billy needs a guy like Gerry,’ SU assistant coach Mike Hopkins said, ‘because Billy’s a great penetrator and Gerry is great from the perimeter.’

Though Edelin may be the better ball-handler, McNamara started at point guard every game last season. He had to when Edelin missed SU’s first 12 games because of an NCAA suspension for playing in a men’s league. By the time Edelin returned, SU had settled its rotation.

Now, McNamara can return to his natural shooting guard position but with more ball-handling skills. In effect, SU plays two top-flight scoring point guards in the same backcourt.

‘We got in a really good rhythm together last year,’ McNamara said. ‘I just can’t wait to play a whole season with him. We can do things for each other on the court that you might not see when just one of us is out there.’

Like handling pressure. Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said the days of having just one player capable of bringing the ball up against pressure are over. Though Edelin will assume point guard duties in SU’s half-court sets, McNamara is capable of beating full-court defenses.

‘We’re not going to get pressed,’ Hopkins said. ‘If you do, we’ll beat you.’

Of course, Edelin is just as adept handling pressure off the court as he is on it. Before last year’s suspension, he missed an entire season after two Syracuse students accused him of rape. The charges have since been dropped.

Finally through with struggles away from basketball and able to start a season with the rest of the Orangemen, Edelin has never been more comfortable at Syracuse.

‘A lot of the things that I’m doing this year is just a result of having a whole season and not having off-the-court distractions,’ Edelin said. ‘Really just having a full year to show what I can do.

‘It’s a totally different feeling to go out there and play and not worry about off-the-court stuff, getting asked questions about stuff besides basketball. It’s good to be able to focus and go out and have fun.’

He’ll have plenty of it playing with McNamara. Edelin said he already knows exactly where McNamara likes to receive passes when Golden Boy sets up for a 3. He loves taking one of McNamara’s crisp passes before finishing with a floater on a fast break.

Despite the sophomore duo’s quick rapport, there is room for improvement, especially on defense. Both are quick and athletic enough to thwart ball-handlers, but their inexperience shows when getting beat by backdoor cutters.

Each guard could also use a bit of the other’s game to become more complete.

‘Gerry’s got to be able to put the ball on the floor and make plays,’ Boeheim said. ‘Billy’s got to be playing off him and make that pull-up jump shot.’

Even with McNamara and Edelin’s blemishes, it’s easy to forget they’re only sophomores. They’re already national champions and as smooth a guard tandem as the nation has to offer. And, apparently, they’re mature enough to ignore the Bilases of the world telling them how good they are.

‘Everyone loves to hear good things about yourself,’ Edelin said. ‘But I think it’s good to stay hungry. Last year, teams and all the analysts were doubting us. That made us want to go and prove something. We’ve got to keep that same hunger to a certain extent but also have that same arrogance about us that as a team we can beat anybody.’

Published on November 20, 2003 at 12:00 pm