Photo by: Michael J. Okoniewski
Dolezaj Does the Little Things
11/28/2017 9:38:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Six games into his collegiate career, Marek Dolezaj has become a fan favorite. It isn't because of his eye-popping stats as the freshman from Bratislava, Slovakia doesn't lead the team in any category. Rather, it's the way Dolejaz plays the game that has impressed the Orange faithful.
Case in point – the Carrier Dome crowd gave Dolezaj a standing ovation when he exited the game against Oakland despite the fact that he didn't score a single point.
"I think the fans see how I fight and hustle, even though (I didn't score)," he said.
His all-out hustle has not gone unnoticed by head coach Jim Boeheim. After Syracuse's win against Texas Southern, Boeheim said that Dolezaj goes after the ball better than anyone else on the team. And he isn't worried about Dolezaj's 6-9, 180-pound frame.
"He goes after the ball, he really hustles," Boeheim said after the Orange defeated Iona. "Obviously, he doesn't have his shooting yet. He works hard every day on his shooting. That's still a long way away. But he's going to try to go after it. Everybody talks about strength. When Hakim Warrick came in as a freshman he weighed 160 pounds and he was pretty good. He never weighed more than 180 pounds. Everybody talks about weight when they want to be negative. That has nothing to do with it. He'll be fine. He's going to keep going after it. He's thin so he can move faster. You have to look at the positive side of things."
Dolezaj's hard work on his shot paid off in Syracuse's win against Maryland. He was 4-for-5 from the field and 2-for-3 from the free throw line for a season-high 10 points. He also pulled down seven rebounds and recorded one steal. Dolezaj ranks second on the team and 19th in the ACC in rebounds, averaging 6.8 per game.
"I'm trying to really help the team and it is my job to play defense, block shots and get rebounds," he said.
Dolezaj and his teammates will face their toughest test of the season when they take on No. 2/2 Kansas in the Hoophall Miami Invitational at American Airlines Arena on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 5:30 p.m.
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Case in point – the Carrier Dome crowd gave Dolezaj a standing ovation when he exited the game against Oakland despite the fact that he didn't score a single point.
"I think the fans see how I fight and hustle, even though (I didn't score)," he said.
His all-out hustle has not gone unnoticed by head coach Jim Boeheim. After Syracuse's win against Texas Southern, Boeheim said that Dolezaj goes after the ball better than anyone else on the team. And he isn't worried about Dolezaj's 6-9, 180-pound frame.
"He goes after the ball, he really hustles," Boeheim said after the Orange defeated Iona. "Obviously, he doesn't have his shooting yet. He works hard every day on his shooting. That's still a long way away. But he's going to try to go after it. Everybody talks about strength. When Hakim Warrick came in as a freshman he weighed 160 pounds and he was pretty good. He never weighed more than 180 pounds. Everybody talks about weight when they want to be negative. That has nothing to do with it. He'll be fine. He's going to keep going after it. He's thin so he can move faster. You have to look at the positive side of things."
Dolezaj's hard work on his shot paid off in Syracuse's win against Maryland. He was 4-for-5 from the field and 2-for-3 from the free throw line for a season-high 10 points. He also pulled down seven rebounds and recorded one steal. Dolezaj ranks second on the team and 19th in the ACC in rebounds, averaging 6.8 per game.
"I'm trying to really help the team and it is my job to play defense, block shots and get rebounds," he said.
Dolezaj and his teammates will face their toughest test of the season when they take on No. 2/2 Kansas in the Hoophall Miami Invitational at American Airlines Arena on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 5:30 p.m.
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