Billy Edelin made his long-awaited return to the Syracuse men’s basketball team Wednesday night, and the fans certainly made him feel welcome.

With 8:44 to play in the first half against St. Bonaventure, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim inserted his junior point guard into the lineup for the first time in nearly 11 months. The move drew a standing ovation from the 19,956 fans in attendance at the Carrier Dome.

‘It definitely made me feel good,’ Edelin said, ‘to have the crowd react like that.’

One of the biggest questions surrounding the Orange has been the return of Edelin and when it would occur. The junior point guard started practicing with SU on Nov. 21 after the NCAA granted his petition to return despite being short of the necessary academic credits.

Ten days after first practicing, Edelin returned and played 15 minutes in Syracuse’s 91-67 win over St. Bonaventure. Edelin scored four points and grabbed two rebounds, but also dished three assists in his limited playing time. While he was on the court, though, Edelin flashed glimpses of the driving point guard he has been for Syracuse.

‘It’s good for him to get in there and play these games,’ Syracuse senior forward Hakim Warrick said. ‘It was good to have him back.’

It was Edelin’s first game since leaving Syracuse for personal reasons midway through last season. Edelin had started 16 of 17 games before failing to show up when the Orange played Rutgers on Feb. 10. He didn’t return the remainder of the season and eventually withdrew from school, losing his fall credits and forcing him to try to make them up during the summer and this year.

Boeheim said he wanted Edelin to focus on his academics for most of the semester, but after Edelin resumed practicing with SU, it was only a matter of time before the junior returned to the floor.

Edelin said Boeheim approached him just before the game and asked him if he was ready to go. Edelin replied with a definite yes, and he found himself playing just a bit later.

After missing so many games and seeing other players gain playing time and experience, Edelin said the one thing he was most worried about was screwing up the existing team chemistry.

‘I’m so proud of (Demetris Nichols), he’s coming along,’ Edelin said. ‘And Josh Wright, you’re all going to see a lot out of him. He’s playing well, and I just didn’t want to mess up that chemistry.’

In the first half, Edelin made a tough drive to the basket while getting fouled. But he fought it off and still nailed the basket. In the second half, he displayed more of his natural point guard ability, backing down a defender before making a nifty bounce pass into the lane to McCroskey for an easy layup.

On his first possession on the floor, Edelin fed guard Gerry McNamara on the break for a 3-point attempt. McNamara missed it. But like the rest of his teammates, McNamara enjoyed having Edelin back.

‘It’s easy to play with somebody that you know each other’s games and you have a certain friendship on the court,’ McNamara said. ‘The more friendly you are with someone, the more generous you’ll get on the floor with them.

‘Billy’s the typical point guard. He’s got a great relationship with everybody on the team. I have that with him and he knows my game. He knows in transition, I’m going to look back to the ball, and he does it better than anyone I’ve ever played with.’

Edelin also struggled at times. He committed two turnovers in the first half and also had to deal with game conditioning.

‘He just got some time,’ Boeheim said. ‘He’s had some good practices. But he’s been away for a while. It takes some time to get your timing back.’

Published on December 1, 2004 at 12:00 pm