Kaleb Joseph vs. Nova.JPG
Syracuse's Kaleb Joseph drives to the basket late in the Orange overtime loss to Villanova in Philadelphia, Saturday Dec. 20, 2014.
(Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com)
Syracuse, N.Y. — The afternoon after his worst performance in a Syracuse basketball uniform, Kaleb Joseph was all focused, feisty business.
On Dec. 14, Joseph committed eight turnovers in the Orange's narrow win over Louisiana Tech. A day later, Joseph practiced with ferocious intent. He attacked the basket, often calling out "and-one" when he perceived a teammate fouled him on a drive. He mixed oral challenge with physical play against Christian White, the Monmouth transfer who does not back down.
He played hard, he played tough and he played seemingly without regard for what had transpired in the Carrier Dome more than 24 hours earlier.
"I guess I was ready to go," Joseph said Saturday, in the losing Syracuse locker room at Villanova.
The Orange dropped a wrenching 82-77 overtime game to the Wildcats. But Joseph, the 18-year-old point guard, is growing up as we gauge his every move.
He scored 10 points and registered a career-high 10 assists. He made three steals. He played the full 45 minutes.
The statistics show he committed four turnovers, but whoever kept those stats incorrectly assigned a late-game turnover to Joseph on the inbounds play of the game. There, Michael Gbinije passed the ball to Rakeem Christmas and Villanova ended up with possession. Joseph was not involved in the play.
Syracuse's Kaleb Joseph works against Villanova's Ryan Arcidiacono in the second half of the Syracuse-Villanova game Philadelphia, Dec. 20, 2014. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com
"Kaleb really made some good plays today," SU coach Jim Boeheim said. "He played great."
His teammates helped. Gbinije handled the ball most of the time against the Villanova pressure. He brought the ball upcourt, then allowed Joseph to direct the Orange offense.
Joseph found Tyler Roberson for a lob pass that stretched SU's lead to 9-5. He sank a 15-footer. He made a steal that resulted in another Roberson slam. He led the break and fed Chris McCullough, who eventually converted two free throws.
He penetrated and located Gbinije, who finished and was fouled. He found Rakeem Christmas on the low block for a three-point play. He created separation from his defender and successfully launched another jump shot. He used his speed to get past defenders. He seemed confident, calm and infinitely more capable than he did a few days earlier.
"I just tried to be more comfortable, tried to read the defense better," Joseph said. "Guys hit shots, so that always helps. We were able to space the floor out so that guys could get in the lanes and create some more scoring opportunities."
"He had a great week of practice. That's the way he needs to play. He played like a true point guard," SU guard Trevor Cooney said. "He was aggressive and he ran the sets. He got us into things. He was able to make plays off the bounce. He can do that every single night. He's starting to realize that. This was a good game for him.''
The week of concentrated practice before the Villanova game helped. Joseph continues to be a work in progress, a young sponge trying to absorb as much basketball information as he can reasonably process. On Saturday, he was in no mood for introspection. He has a job to do.
"I'm just trying to get better every day," he said. "It's the same mentality every single day in the gym, just trying to get better. I think guys got better this week and it showed in today's game."