Syracuse center Rakeem Christmas scores 35 in Orange win: 'It's ridiculous what he did for us'

Syracuse, N.Y. — He still has that languid, deliberate island demeanor, that soft voice that barely rises above a whisper. Nothing about Rakeem Christmas outside the basketball lines hints at the intensity he summons these days once the whistle blows.

Nothing about him rises above a slow simmer.

But this season, this final season, has allowed the Syracuse senior a chance to release an unbridled, relentless basketball passion. He keeps talking about waiting his turn, about the patience he practiced to achieve moments like Tuesday night in the Carrier Dome, when he was the dominant, decisive factor in SU's 86-83 overtime win over Wake Forest.

Christmas scored a career-high 35 points vs. the Demon Deacons. He was 13-of-21 from the floor and 9-of-12 from the free-throw line. His Syracuse teammates kept searching inside for him, kept finding ways to finagle the ball into the middle. And Christmas repaid that faith. He sank shots over his right shoulder, shots over his left shoulder. He powered to the rim. He spun on the baseline and converted shots in traffic.

"Thirty-five points? It's ridiculous what he did for us," SU guard Trevor Cooney said. "And he can do that. He showed tonight everything that he can do. And it was unbelievable to see. It was just fun to be on the same team as him, on the same floor with him."

"Without him," said SU forward Tyler Roberson, "we wouldn't have won."

Wake Forest coach Danny Manning said he elected to guard Christmas one-on-one, fearful that doubling Christmas would free Orange perimeter shooters who sank 43 percent of their 3-point shots Tuesday night. Occasionally, Wake would send another body to crowd Christmas after the catch.

But for the most part, a series of Demon Deacons were left to fend for themselves against Christmas. SU players said they search, every trip down the court, for their center. SU coach Jim Boeheim praised the way his players delivered the ball to Christmas on Tuesday night. "I catch it and if they're playing me one-on-one, I know that's my time to go," Christmas said. "If they're doubling me, I find Trevor and Mike wide open and they make tough shots."

Cooney and Christmas have known each other since high school. Christmas lived in Philadelphia, Cooney in nearby Delaware. Over the years, Cooney witnessed tantalizing glimpses of what Christmas displayed against Wake Forest. Never, before Tuesday, had he seen the complete package.

"I think he's taken a different approach to the game and I think that comes with all the hard work he put in this off-season," Cooney said. "He's just more aggressive. I think he's starting to realize how really good he is. Each game he's getting more and more confident in himself. He's knocking down shots, he's doing his moves. That's Rock. I'm just so proud of the way he's playing."

Nobody outside of Syracuse seems to be paying much attention. In the Twitter and web era of ubiquitous lists trumpeting superlative performers/performances, Christmas rarely rates a mention. Boeheim pointed to his team's failure to reach college basketball's anointed top 25 as an obvious reason.

Christmas is averaging 18.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Those numbers rank him in the top five in the ACC in both categories.

"You only know the guys who are in the top 10 or 15 and those are the guys who are getting all the credit. That's the way it's always been, always will be. If we keep winning, he'll get more recognition. But if he plays like this, I think that's a little different too," Boeheim said. "I think he's capable of this. I really do. I think he's capable of a big game."

Christmas shrugs off the lack of buzz. He does not feel slighted. He does not feel underappreciated. He does not, he said, pay much attention to the way most people perceive him.

He treasures the way his teammates and his coaches value him, the way SU has structured its offense to feature his growing game. He has been playing basketball since eighth grade. And never, he said Tuesday, has his confidence reached such lofty levels.

"This year, I've been getting the ball a lot, I've been making tough plays, I've been finding my teammates," he said. "I love the situation I'm in right now."

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.