Note: Eli Saslow will cover Carmelo Anthony’s freshman year. This is the second story in a series.

It took 20 minutes of basketball for freshman Carmelo Anthony to prove he could play like a superstar. And it took just a few minutes longer for him to show he could act like one, too.

After a dazzling 21-point first half against Memphis in Syracuse’s season opener on Nov. 14, Anthony walked out for halftime and sat down with his back against the scorer’s table. He stayed there with his legs stretched out onto the floor and admired the Madison Square Garden crowd while his teammates did layup drills.

‘I was really relaxed,’ Anthony said afterward. ‘I felt in the zone. I didn’t think I needed any extra few minutes of practice.’

So far, he hasn’t. Through three games — including a nationally-televised, 70-63 loss to Memphis in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic — Anthony’s averaging 27 points and 11 boards. While his defense has been suspect at times, Anthony leads the Big East in scoring and ranks second in the conference in rebounds.

Some close to Anthony say the early success has boosted his ego, but only slightly. What it’s done most, though, is raise questions about Anthony’s role with the Orangemen (2-1). Prior to the season, Anthony expected to be a main cog in a well-balanced Syracuse attack.

‘Other guys can score,’ Anthony said then. ‘We’ve got a full team of good players. I want to be the go-to guy, but I don’t have to be the guy all the time.’

Through three games, Anthony’s been Syracuse’s only consistent scorer. He’s scored at least 27 points in each game. Only one other Orangemen eclipsed 20 in a game (Kueth Duany had 21 on Tuesday against Colgate). Earlier this week, the lopsided offensive production seemed to have altered Anthony’s team-oriented tune.

‘Sometimes, I feel like I need to take this team on my back,’ Anthony said Tuesday. ‘Sometimes, I just feel like I need to take over.’

Against Colgate, he ripped off 15 points in the first eight minutes, helping Syracuse build a double-digit lead. He scored 11 points in less than five minutes in the second half against Valparaiso.

He’s played 37 minutes a game, lugging around 25 pounds of muscle he didn’t have last year.

‘He’s getting tired,’ head coach Jim Boeheim said. ‘He’s in good shape but not good enough to play 37 minutes on offense and defense. He has to be our best rebounder and, obviously, our best scorer. We’re asking a lot of him, there’s no question.’

Before the season began, some thought Syracuse wouldn’t ask for so much from the freshman. Anthony hoped to average a modest 16 or 17 points. Both Director of Athletics Jake Crouthamel and former Syracuse standout Pearl Washington said too much pressure on Anthony might hinder his development.

‘He’s got a cast of characters here that are capable,’ Crouthamel said before the season. ‘I’d be very surprised if he was going to be asked to put this team on his shoulders. I think problems or pressures would be more likely if he were asked to be the guy.’

‘He’s a special player, but he’s a freshman,’ Washington said. ‘Sometimes, you can’t put all your stock in that. It might be a dangerous situation.’

Syracuse seems to have little choice. With starters Duany (save his outburst earlier this week) and Craig Forth struggling and point guard Billy Edelin suspended, the Orangemen will have to hope Anthony doesn’t wilt under the pressure.

But already, the long minutes and scoring burden seem to have affected parts of Anthony’s game. A good free-throw shooter in high school, Anthony has made less than 60 percent from the line this year. Late in the game against Memphis, Anthony missed four straight free throws that could have kept Syracuse in the game. After the first miss, he walked away from the line in frustration. After the third, he gently pushed away Craig Forth’s hand, which waited for a high five.

Against Colgate, Anthony missed 3 of 4 free-throw tries late in the first half. The next time he walked to the line, a few Syracuse fans screamed, ‘C’mon Shaq!’

Anthony’s defense has suffered, too. Four times against Colgate, a player Anthony was responsible for nailed a three-pointer. Anthony admits his off-the-ball defense needs work. He’s struggled to help fellow Orangemen who get beat down low.

‘My main concern is that he’s spending so much energy on offense that there’s a diminished amount of energy on defense,’ Boeheim said after Syracuse beat Colgate. ‘He probably made 20 defensive mistakes in the first half.’

After Syracuse beat Valparaiso on Nov. 24, one of Anthony’s teammates had another concern. Late in the game when Valparaiso looked to foul, Anthony ended up shooting most of the free throws. Twice, Boeheim yelled to Anthony, urging him to pass the ball quickly and run more time off the clock. Anthony struggled to do so.

‘He was pretty slow to pass,’ the teammate said. ‘He could have been looking at the stats a bit. But so far, that’s not a big problem.’

Two of Anthony’s closest friends — Josh Pace and Hakim Warrick — insist the freshman does not worry about his stats and would not try to hold the ball to get fouled late in games.

‘He’s the exact same guy as he was before the season,’ Warrick said. ‘He’s real relaxed, real cool. Nothing’s changed except we got a new PlayStation. We play that more. That’s the only thing that’s different. (Anthony’s) loving it right now.’

‘My confidence right now is extremely high,’ Anthony said. ‘If I need to score 30 points for us to win, then I’ll do my best to score ’em.’

Published on December 5, 2002 at 12:00 pm