Every now and then, Syracuse men’s basketball forward Dayshawn Wright will lay down for bed and get a little more than he bargained for.

Instead of a warm, dry pillow, he’ll find his pillow cold and wet. When he discovers the ice underneath his pillow, it doesn’t take long to guess who planted it.

‘Oh man, what a little trickster,’ Dayshawn will think out loud.

Then he goes after the source of the practical joke, his roommate and Syracuse freshman guard Josh Wright.

Always fun loving, Wright has a little more reason to smile these days. After spending a significant part of the Big East season glued to SU’s bench, his minutes have started to increase. Josh and the Orange travel to Storrs, Conn., for their final regular-season game on Saturday at 4 p.m.

‘With Josh, you never know what to expect,’ Dayshawn said.

Dayshawn, the elder of the two by seven months, always gets his payback. His preferred method? He smothers Wright’s pillow with shampoo. It’s all in good fun, of course.

It’s that type of humor that’s propelled the two through a difficult freshman season. Until recently, neither had played. Now, Wright is beginning to find a niche in Syracuse’s rotation.

Wright, a Utica native, played in Syracuse’s first two Big East games – both easy wins over St. John’s and Seton Hall. He didn’t see the court again until last Wednesday, an 83-69 win over St. John’s.

While Syracuse (24-5, 11-4 Big East) head coach Jim Boeheim emptied his bench, Wright played 20 minutes, much of his time coming with the Red Storm still in striking distance. He played again in Saturday’s 91-66 win over Providence, this time for just five minutes.

In the two appearances, Wright has scored just one point and distributed five assists. Still, he’s cut down on turnovers and become more dependable. As a lightning-fast, aggressive player who’d rarely been stopped in high school, Josh had to learn to control his speed.

Junior guard Gerry McNamara said early on, most freshman try to do too much. But Wright has learned.

‘He’s grown as a player,’ said assistant coach Mike Hopkins. ‘He couldn’t be a turnover guy. He had to be a guy who could get you into your offense and run plays. Josh was a little maverick at first. When he gets his opportunities, he’s really produced.’

Instead of talking back to coaches or complaining about his role, Josh took out his frustrations in practice. To Wright, practices became games. He realized Boeheim bases playing time largely on what he sees in practice.

Though Wright said he never slacked in practice, he took it up an extra notch since being relegated to the bench. He’s never sat much before, except on the AAU circuit when he played behind the likes of Taquan Dean, Daryll Hill and Allen Ray, his father Michael said.

‘A lot of guys can’t take criticism,’ McNamara said. ‘If you want to get better, you’ve got to listen to what the coaches tell you. He’s always been a guy that’s done what the coaches have asked of him. That’s why he’s been able to improve.’

Said Michael Wright: ‘We focused him on the positives. We know before it’s over, he’s going to play. We told him to turn not playing into a positive. Instead of ranting, go lift weights and make yourself stronger.’

For now, Wright has put the difficult stretch behind him. He’s playing now and building toward the future. He believes he’s begun to earn Boeheim’s trust, but knows he’s got a ways to go.

Most importantly, he said, he’s never let basketball become a chore.

‘Basketball is always fun,’ Wright said. ‘You can take my minutes, but you can’t take my fun.’

Watching Wright in practice, it shows. When he’s not playfully slapping the ball away from a teammate or challenging someone to guard him, he’s lofting half-court shots.

The fun-loving Wright is a direct product of the environment in which he grew up. He has six brothers – four of which are older – and two sisters. Michael actually comes from a family of 14. In a family that big, it’s hard to get by without a sense of humor.

Wright still goes home two or three times a month. Michael said he likes sleeping in his own bed or getting a home-cooked meal. Last night, he traveled home to celebrate his mother’s 50th birthday. He only stayed for an hour before driving back to SU, but he had a present to deliver.

‘It’s always been a family affair,’ Michael said. ‘All through life. We’d all go his games. It wasn’t just me. It was everyone.’

That fun carries over into his and Dayshawn’s apartment. Since Dayshawn is from Syracuse, the two ran into each other on the AAU circuit before they got to Syracuse. As the only two freshmen, they were paired to live together.

Even through the pranks, it’s worked out for the best. When both struggled for minutes, they talked about other things, freeing themselves from basketball as much as possible.

When asked about Josh snagging some minutes, Dayshawn responded like he was the Wright who’d cracked SU’s lineup.

‘Out of the two of us, as long as someone’s playing,’ he said with a full-faced smile.

But Dayshawn should beware. Michael recalled one of Wright’s favorite pranks.

At night, he’d sneak into his sibling’s rooms and smother their faces with shaving cream. It wasn’t just the boys he targeted. Sisters too, Michael said, laughing. His siblings often returned the favor.

‘He’s a clown,’ Michael said. ‘He’s like to have fun and keep players loose. You gotta have fun playing the game you love.’

Published on March 2, 2005 at 12:00 pm