As Mike Hopkins paced back and forth, he thought about a specific game in which former Syracuse center Baye Moussa Keita had a standout shooting performance. Before the Orange’s matchup with Montana State, Hopkins knew he wanted to get current backup center, Chinonso Obokoh, significant reps before conference play.

Obokoh had one point in 27 minutes before Tuesday. A lone made free throw through 11 games.

Against the Bobcats, he scored 11 points in 12 minutes. He converted three and-ones en route to a 5-for-7 night from the field. And despite only making one of his five free throws in Syracuse’s (9-3) 82-60 win over Montana State, the 6-foot-9 backup center was showered with praise after his career night.

“Chino’s been practicing really hard and he deserves his minutes,” senior Trevor Cooney said. “It was really good to see him go out there and play well.”

Obokoh first checked in at the 11:28 mark of the first half, the earliest he’d entered all season. Two minutes later, he absorbed contact in the lane and converted, sending the Syracuse bench into a craze.

Already eclipsing his scoring total on the season, Obokoh flashed his ability to do what’s been his downfall. He often gets a finger on a ball without corralling it but when he does, the ball doesn’t find its way through the hoop. On Tuesday, the full execution came to fruition as Hopkins’ wish materialized.

“A couple of games, I got the ball and they foul me, I couldn’t finish,” Obokoh said, “but this time I kind of refocused … going strong to the rim.”

With Syracuse distancing itself from the Bobcats, Obokoh was given more time. He hadn’t played double-digit minutes since the season opener against Lehigh, in which he had no points to show for 15 minutes.

Guards even looked for Obokoh in the post as the Orange exploited its significant size advantage down low. On one sequence, Obokoh caught the ball with his back to the hoop and deftly spun around his defender before barely missing another flashy lay-in. Frank Howard said Obokoh was “foolin’” with his post moves on Tuesday, ones the freshman has never seen before.

“Whenever he can get a bucket or get some success, we’re all hyped,” Howard said.

Obokoh added a slam dunk and a pair of rebounds to his night as the second half wound down. His last bucket, his third and-one to put Syracuse up 30, was followed by his final missed free throw. But on a night where every SU mistake proved inconsequential, it didn’t matter.

Before leaving the locker room, Hopkins looked at Obokoh while talking with a staff member and said “I’m so happy for him.” As players started to trickle out, Kaleb Joseph started a “Chino” chant. A refreshing night for a seldom-used player, if only for one game.

“For him, especially to see the hard work pay off,” Joseph said, “I’m just really happy for him.”

Published on December 22, 2015 at 10:41 pm

Contact Matt: mcschnei@syr.edu | @matt_schneidman