NEW YORK – Gerry McNamara and Louie McCroskey simply called him ‘The Beast.’ For much of the season, though, Syracuse men’s basketball forward Darryl Watkins has played like anything but one.

Finally, in Friday’s Big East semifinal game against Connecticut, The Beast burst from his cage.

Watkins, a 6-foot-11 sophomore, led a dominant Syracuse defense, grabbing nine rebounds, blocking five shots and causing general havoc inside for the Huskies. SU defeated Connecticut, 67-63, to advance to the Big East championship game Saturday night.

‘He’s a monster,’ McNamara said. ‘Tonight he got us going. He’s waited patiently for his opportunity and took advantage of it.’

In the past, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim has referred to Watkins as a defensive liability.

Boeheim would pull Watkins from the game, in favor of Craig Forth, who Boeheim said is more likely to snake into opposing team’s passing lanes.

Against Connecticut, instead of a defensive liability, Watkins became Syracuse’s defensive centerpiece.

‘I thought Darryl Watkins had a tremendous first half for us and was a real presence in the middle,’ Boeheim said.

Watkins wasn’t alone in disrupting Connecticut inside. Fellow sophomore Terrence Roberts tripped up UConn’s vaunted inside game as well. Roberts finished with eight points, five rebounds and two steals.

As has been the case of late, Watkins was the Orange first man off the bench, replacing starting center Craig Forth. For the fifth straight game, Boeheim started Roberts, opting for a taller lineup. When Watkins joined him early in the first half, the duo erased UConn’s dominant inside combo of Charlie Villanueva and Josh Boone.

‘We got our butts kicked inside early,’ Huskies head coach Jim Calhoun said.

While Watkins had just one second-half rebound, he still remained active in the center of Syracuse’s 2-3 zone. He repeatedly stepped into passing lanes, preventing UConn from getting clean passes inside.

‘Every day I work on that,’ Watkins said.Finally that work paid off in what’s been an up-and-down second season for Watkins. At times he’s shown flashes of potential, at other time flashes of wasted size.

But without him Friday, UConn’s big men, who’ve twice victimized Syracuse this season, may have had their way again. Syracuse can only hope The Beast returns tonight against West Virginia

‘He stayed down when he needed to, jumped when he needed to,’ McNamara said. ‘Everything he needed to do, he did.’

Stepping out

Before last night’s game, SU assistant Mike Hopkins sidled up to McNamara with a thought about the contest.

‘I think Hakim’s going to have to make a 3 three tonight,’ Hopkins told McNamara.

Warrick didn’t disappoint. He attempted four treys, all in the first half, connecting on the first two he took.

‘They really played off me, and I thought if I got out there and knocked some shots, they would have to come out and guard me,’ Warrick said. ‘That allowed me to get to the basket.’

This season, Warrick has made 9 of his 30 3-point attempts, a 30 percent clip. Warrick, primarily a dangerous post player, added the outside shot to his repertoire this offseason.

‘He can make ’em,’ McNamara said. ‘I was screaming at him to shoot it. He’s one of the best on the team shooting in practice. We have the confidence in him to shoot it.’

High-flyer

Don’t worry if you missed Rudy Gay’s dunk last night. They’ll be showing it on SportsCenter for quite some time.

With five minutes left in the first half, Gay, a 6-foot-9 UConn freshman, found himself on a breakaway and took full advantage, despite his team being down, 25-13 at the time. He pulled off a double-pump reverse monster, bringing the ball below his waist before slamming it home.

While the crowd roared, Boeheim made a half-smile grimace and peaked at the scoreboard, which read 25-15 in favor of SU.

‘Did it count two points?’ Boeheim asked. ‘That’s all that matters. That’s what I think about those types of things.’

Published on March 12, 2005 at 12:00 pm