ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. –– Both during and after Syracuse’s Legends Classic Championship win, C.J. Fair heard the negative words from the coaches.

The first remarks had a hint of bad intention from Georgia Tech. And after the game was already over, the remarks came from the Orange head coach. Nevertheless, Fair had his share of detractors Saturday. And it started with the taunting from the Yellow Jacket bench.

‘The (Georgia Tech) coaches kept yelling, ‘He’s a driver! He’s a driver!” Fair said.

But thanks to his 10-point performance, along with fellow freshman Dion Waiters’ 13-point outing, the SU freshmen shut up the naysayers, at least for one day. Waiters played with a veteran-like attitude, looking for his shot in the first half. He started the game 4-of-4 and carried the SU offense when the team trailed early thanks to his deep shooting. Fair put together a solid offensive game capped by a corner 3 — in front of the Yellow Jackets’ bench— to give SU its first lead of the day in the first half’s final seconds.

After making the 3, he kept his follow-through sky-high as he jogged mere feet past the same Georgia Tech coaches who doubted his jumper all day. The same ones who barked to the Yellow Jacket players to back off Fair and let him shoot.

‘That was a good relief for me,’ he said. ‘It stretched the defense out.’

After four games where SU head coach Jim Boeheim has downplayed Waiters’ and Fair’s effect on the team early in the season, the coach was pleased on Saturday. In his press conference following SU’s win over Canisius on Nov. 14, Boeheim called out the pair for not providing SU with enough depth. In Atlantic City, it was a different story.

‘I thought Dion was huge,’ Boeheim said. ‘In the first half, both he and C.J., they were both solid, getting some experience. I thought both guys played really well.’

Finally, Boeheim felt both played well together. But even if Waiters proved to be both the scoring and emotional leader in the first half — he constantly gestured to the SU crowd — and Fair played errorless basketball, the head coach still didn’t mind half-kidding about that huge 3 from Fair.

It wasn’t taunting like the other coaches, but Boeheim still wasn’t pleased with what could have been a fail.

‘(Fair) took it too soon,’ Boeheim said. ‘We went too soon which could have been a disaster. Yeah, he never makes that shot in practice.

‘He saved it for the game.’

Joseph uninjured after freakish play in final minute

As Kris Joseph lay on the Boardwalk Hall court for what seemed an endless moment, the Syracuse fans who were ready to celebrate SU’s Legends Classic win, Atlantic City-style, feared the worst.

47.5 seconds remaining and SU nursing a comfortable 77-69 lead, Joseph crashed hard to the floor against the stanchion of Syracuse’s basket as he attempted a lay-up on what was supposed to be a harmless fastbreak. While he hit the floor, Joseph said a Georgia Tech player kneed him in the ribs.

But after Boeheim and SU trainer Brad Pike tended to him, Joseph walked off the floor without a limp. Minutes later, he reentered the game, seemingly at full health.

Boeheim downplayed the incident after the game.

‘I think he is alright,’ he said. ‘I think he got hit in the stomach.’

In the SU locker room, Joseph reaffirmed his coach’s take while adding that he felt there was no intended harm in the intentional foul.

‘They called the intentional, but he didn’t mean to,’ Joseph said. ‘I don’t think anyone would mean to knee anyone in the rib cage.’

And then, Joseph kiddingly retracted from slight exaggeration.

‘I was winded a little bit… Not a little bit,’ Joseph said, to laughs. ‘I was actually winded. But that was it. I am cool now. I will have to put some ice on my ribs, and that’s it.’

This and that

Syracuse shot 38 free throws to Georgia Tech’s 12. The Orange made 26, including a 75 percent mark in the second half… SU starting center Fab Melo was scoreless for the third consecutive game… The Yellow Jackets out-rebounded the Orange 31-30… Georgia Tech led for the first 19-plus minutes of the game, as there was one lead change in the first half and no ties… Georgia Tech shooting guard Glen Rice Jr. is the son of the former NBA All-Star of the same name. Rice Jr. scored seven points Saturday.

aolivero@syr.edu

Published on November 27, 2010 at 12:00 pm