James Southerland believed a 2-for-18 shooting slump was as bad it was going to get. The sophomore forward, primarily known for his shooting ability, had hit a slump that coincided with Syracuse’s poor shooting performances to start the season. Following a near-upset loss against Detroit on Nov. 16, Southerland decided a change was in order.

‘I just started lifting as many times as I can a week and have been getting a lot of shots up,’ said Southerland, who shot 1-for-13 from beyond the arc during the slump. ‘I feel like I am getting stronger, and I’m also stared taking better care of my body.’

The results were evident Saturday in SU’s 70-58 win over Notre Dame inside the Carrier Dome. Southerland finished with 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the field, including 2-for-4 from downtown.

More importantly, Southerland’s play was a major reason the Orange began to separate itself from the Fighting Irish down the stretch.

With Syracuse holding tightly to a four-point advantage when Southerland entered with 12:32 remaining in the game, Southerland’s role in Jim Boeheim’s smaller lineup played big dividends. Six minutes after Southerland checked in, he had scored seven on 3-for-3 shooting, and the Orange increased its lead to 16.

‘I thought James was really key today,’ Boeheim said. ‘He really played well.’

Despite struggling earlier this season, Southerland has emerged over the last four games to play a major role in Boeheim’s rotation. In those games, he’s playing 23.5 minutes, scoring 11 points, grabbing 3.5 boards and blocking 1.3 shots per game.

‘I don’t remember who I told, but I said when the year started that the stat sheet sometimes tells lies,’ junior forward Kris Joseph said. ‘James was shooting maybe 1-for-18, but he’s a really good shooter and now he’s got his confidence back.

‘He’s come a long way.’

Saturday performance was the culmination. Though he had 18 points in a Dec. 22 win over Drexel, the second-year forward said he had his most complete performance of the season Saturday. Boeheim echoed those sentiments, saying that Southerland’s defensive energy has greatly improved along with his offensive production.

For Southerland, it all comes down to the things he has been doing since hitting that shooting slump and subsequently finding himself buried on the bench earlier in the season.

‘I’ve just been staying focused and make sure I’m hitting my shots,’ Southerland said. ‘And I’m staying active on defense. That has been the difference for me.’

Against Notre Dame, Syracuse found how successful it can be with Rick Jackson playing in the middle. But for that lineup to truly excel, it ultimately comes down to Southerland being productive during long stretches at the forward spot.

Earlier this season, the verdict was still out about whether or not Southerland was going to be a factor in Boeheim’s rotation. After seeing what he can do Saturday, those questions no longer exist.

‘We know he’s a good shooter, so we figured that he’s eventually going to make some shots,’ Boeheim said. ‘… He’s really starting to come into his own.’

And when his shots aren’t falling, Southerland now has confidence that he can contribute with his length and energy on the defensive end. When Southerland entered the game in the second half Saturday, Notre Dame forward Tim Abromaitis found open shots on the baseline difficult to come by.

Knowing that he has Boeheim’s trust to play big minutes down the stretch is something that Southerland is relishing. Getting steady minutes is something he sees as a chance to further bolster his once-fragile confidence.

‘It makes me comfortable as a player and gives me a better feel being out there,’ Southerland said. ‘I feel like I don’t have to stress as much. Everything is just going with the flow.’

aljohn@syr.edu

Published on January 1, 2011 at 12:00 pm