Syracuse was scrambling to get back on defense after a turnover in the backcourt. It was just Tim Kempton, the preseason Patriot League player of the year, and Chinonso Obokoh, a player who had seen just 89 college minutes to go along with the six he had played to that point on Friday.

Kempton tried a spin move in the post, but Obokoh rose up and swatted the ball out of bounds, giving the Orange a chance to set up its defense.

“I just try to focus on defense,” Obokoh said.

Obokoh did on defense what he needed to do. He rejected four shots and collected four defensive rebounds. With starter Dajuan Coleman in foul trouble, Obokoh provided a much-needed presence down low despite fouling out in the second half.

In his previous 13 career games, Obokoh recorded only four blocks and matched that in just 15 minutes in Syracuse’s (1-0) 57-47 win over Lehigh (0-1) in the Carrier Dome on Friday night.

“He blocked a shot, he moved in there,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said. “He was doing some good things.”

He had another block less than a minute after his first. Kempton pump-faked but Obokoh didn’t bite. He went up with the shot and sent it back Kempton’s way.

Boeheim was pleased with what Obokoh provided Syracuse, but nitpicked his offensive fouls in the first half. With Coleman prone to get in foul trouble — he collected two within the game’s first five minutes — the depth Obokoh provides could swing the pendulum on how Syracuse’s season shakes out.

“Chino was big for us today,” point guard Michael Gbinije said. “With (Coleman) in foul trouble, Chino stepped up and did the best he could do. Chino is going to get better.”

Published on November 13, 2015 at 11:10 pm

Contact Sam: sblum@syr.edu | @SamBlum3