About two hours after Hakim Warrick tore apart Providence in Saturday’s 91-66 Senior Day win, he left the Carrier Dome with his mother and some friends. After scoring a career-high in points for the second straight game, Warrick figured a two-hour window was time enough to let Orange fans clear out, so as not to be swarmed by supporters.

He was wrong.

‘We were going out the back and 50 people cornered him in the door,’ said Queen Warrick, Hakim’s mother. ‘He started signing autographs and I kept telling him ‘we gotta hurry up, we gotta hurry up.”

It was dinnertime. And the Warricks were hungry.

Once the shyest kid on the Syracuse basketball team, Warrick is now used to the attention. He gave the keys to his new Chrysler 300X to a friend and told him to bring the car around – signaling to Queen that he intended to sign an autograph for each kid who cherished his presence.

Warrick, who shunned any attention when he first arrived at Syracuse, is now well-known for his generosity and ear-to-ear smile. It’s something Queen worries about when, in a few months, he’ll be a first-round pick in the NBA Draft and instead of his signature, people will ask for some of his millions.

After toying with his NBA prospects at the end of his junior season, Warrick ultimately decided to return to Syracuse. But had Warrick lingered a little longer and considered the NBA a little more, his 35-point game against St. John’s last week and his 36-point outpouring versus Providence may never have been.

SU assistant coach Mike Hopkins said that had Warrick worked out for some NBA teams, he would’ve raised his stock to a top 13 pick – a lottery selection – where he hoped to be selected.

‘I told him when he was considering (the Draft) ‘if you’re really good, it doesn’t matter where you go,’ Hopkins said.

‘He’s just a good basketball player with NBA all-star potential.’

None of that matters now, though. Warrick is a Player of the Year candidate focused on one thing – a national championship. And the improvements he’s made to his game put him in an entirely different spot in this year’s draft class.

He added a few more pounds before this season and he’s had tremendous success when he’s asserted himself in the low post. But what makes him such an intriguing NBA prospect is his athleticism and his ability to play facing the basket, former SU assistant coach and current Utah Jazz scout Troy Weaver said.

‘He’s become a better player,’ Weaver said. ‘He’s more mature and he keeps improving his skill level.’

Queen and Warrick’s high school coach, Keino Terrell, insist Warrick hasn’t even approached the limits of his potential. His mid-range and 3-point shot, both which have been muzzled at Syracuse, and the NBA’s open style of play will unleash a whole new Warrick, they say. A Warrick that will play small forward and not power forward.

Terrell, who put Warrick at center in high school because he was the tallest player on his Friends’ Central team, moved him to point guard near the end of his senior season. He thought Warrick, then barely 180 pounds, would have to play smaller in college.

But what he saw in the Friends League championship game that year surprised everyone.

‘He was great,’ Terrell said. ‘They thought he was going to play inside. He must’ve hit four 3s in that game. That versatility he has will give him some longevity in the NBA.’

Weaver agreed that his versatility is something NBA teams look for, comparing him to current Portland Trail Blazer Darius Miles.

‘I see him going anywhere between eight and 18,’ Weaver said. ‘If he goes out West, he can play more minutes at (power forward) because it’s a more wide-open style, but it really depends on who has those picks.’

Still, Warrick focuses more on the season at hand, insisting a national championship win is the best way to help his draft status. Queen knows the money will come – she always knew how good her son could be when motivated.

She calls him before and after every game (after losses he needs a couple days to cool off, she said). And lately, Queen’s been talking to him about how to handle the skeletons when they come looking for money next year.

‘I’m pretty sure a lot of people are going to bombard him,’ Queen said. ‘I’ve been trying to educate him because he’s a gentle person. I’ve seen so many people try to leech on to him – I’m sure he’s going to make a couple of blunders. He just needs to put himself first.’

Warrick doesn’t worry about that stuff, though. He’s got a team to lead and he wants to make the most of his last season in Syracuse – the place where he’s spent the best four years of his life, he said.

‘That’s one of the reasons I came here – the community and the students really embrace us and love us,’ Warrick said. ‘Not many people can play in front of 30,000 in a career, I get to play in front of 30,000 people in one night.’

Published on March 2, 2005 at 12:00 pm