One by one, they pulled him aside. Head coach Jim Boeheim first, then assistant coaches Mike Hopkins and Troy Weaver. Next, 12 teammates wanted to talk to him. Then his mom and uncle called from back home in Philadelphia, because they had to be in on this, too.

Everyone came to talk to Hakim Warrick after the sophomore struggled in SU’s Jan. 8 win over Seton Hall. Fifteen minutes, that’s all everyone asked for. So Warrick gave his time even though he already knew what would be said.

Hakim, we need you. You have to play better, have to play tougher. Look for your shot. You can play with these guys. Be confident. Be aggressive.

Be quiet. That’s the message Warrick delivered to the procession in SU’s last two games. Saturday night against Boston College, he scored 24 and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds. Last night against Missouri, he scored 20 and took 10 off the glass.

“I showed everybody that I can play, and I’m just fine,” Warrick said after Syracuse beat Missouri, 76-69, last night. “I’m more confident right now than I have been at Syracuse. I’ll look for my shot, take it and then make it.”

And then trash talk in an opponent’s face. Against Missouri, Warrick — who was bullied and bruised by tough teams last year — tried to intimidate.

After he blocked the shot of 270-pound Missouri center Arthur Johnson, Warrick bumped chests with Johnson and delivered a tirade that, even without sound, probably had ESPN producers flinching.

“That’s pretty unusual for Hakim,” SU guard Josh Pace said. “He doesn’t get angry much. But it’s a big game, and he’s been more aggressive lately.”

Said Warrick: “In the heat of the moment, I probably said some things. I was like, ‘Boy, you better get ready. I’m gonna own you all night.’ ”

And he did. Warrick scored most of his points off 12-foot fadeaways that had every Missouri player confused. With his back to the basket, Warrick would fake right, spin left, jump and shoot. Most of the time, he made the shot. Once, he didn’t and was fouled.

Warrick — once gun-shy outside his dunking range — called for the ball and looked for his shot. Coming into last night’s game, he had 33 dunks. Last night, he had none but found other ways to score.

“Hakim can make his shot,” Boeheim said. “He works really hard on that. He’s at the point where he can make it regularly. He had another great game.”

The only shots Warrick didn’t make were the jumpers he couldn’t shoot spinning and fading away. He made just 4 of 11 free throws, again showing the Achilles’ heel that’s haunted him since the end of last year.

But every other part of Warrick’s game seems improved from his freshman season, when he averaged six points and five rebounds. Through 12 games this year, he’s averaging 17 points and nine boards.

“I give Hakim all my props,” freshman Carmelo Anthony said. “He’s a lot better than I thought he would be before I came here. He carried us sometimes tonight. He’s been huge.”

“I’m learning that you have to do a lot of things to get around people out there,” Warrick said. “You’ve got to have a bunch of moves, know when to fake and stuff. There are a lot of big guys out there who can play.”

And now Warrick has made it clear — to his procession and others — that he’s one of them.

Eli Saslow is a staff writer for The Daily Orange. E-mail him at eesaslow@syr.edu.

Published on January 13, 2003 at 12:00 pm