Gbinije contributes off bench in 1st game at former school Duke
Sam Maller | Staff Photographer
Michael Gbinije played what Jim Boeheim called his "best game of the year" against his former team Duke, despite heckling from the Cameron Crazies.
DURHAM, N.C. — The Cameron Crazies are notoriously harsh and on Saturday, Michael Gbinije learned that homecomings at Cameron Indoor Stadium can be brutal.
From the moment he stepped on Coach K Court, Gbinije was showered with taunts from the unappreciative Crazies.
“Gbi-ni-je! Still doesn’t play!” they chanted as he shot around during warm-ups.
Through the first half, though, he played plenty — 12 minutes to be exact — and was one of the best players on the floor. No. 1 Syracuse lost to No. 5 Duke 66-60, but Gbinije scored eight points in the opening frame.
He didn’t wait long to draw the ire of the 9,314-person crowd for his actions on the court, either. Just 6:28 into the game, Gbinije intercepted Jabari Parker’s pass and took it the other way for what should have been an easy layup. Andre Dawkins grabbed his jersey and was whistled for an intentional foul.
The Cameron Crazies were livid. Gbinije calmly sunk both free throws and the Orange kept the ball.
Two minutes later, Tyler Ennis grabbed a steal and hit Gbinije for a trailing 3 in transition.
“I thought Mike did a great job coming in,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said.
Boeheim plays with a small rotation, so the contributions of Gbinije and backup center Baye Moussa Keita were critical.
“Both guys played tremendous,” he said.
He added another 3 from the corner late in the first half, but saw his role shrink in the second frame. That reopened the door for derisive cheers from the Cameron crowd.
When he inbounded the ball across from Syracuse’s bench and in front of a horde of Duke students, Gbinije was met with angry heckling. When he fouled Amile Jefferson on nearly the same spot on the court, the Blue Devil faithful chanted, “We don’t miss you!”
Gbinije left the locker room before media was able to enter, but in a familiar gym he delivered one of the most admirable performances of his college career.
“Mike coming in really is a good thing for us moving forward,” Boeheim said. “It’s tough to come back down here and play. He played his best game of the year.”
Published on February 23, 2014 at 5:31 pm
Contact David: dbwilson@syr.edu | @DBWilson2
