It’s missing the majesty of a skyhook. It will never have the novelty of an underhanded free throw.
But Josh Pace’s left-handed floater, by far his best offensive move, may rank as the most devastating signature shot in college basketball this season.
The Syracuse swingman has perfected the shot, making him a perfect offensive complement to sharpshooter Gerry McNamara and high-flier Hakim Warrick. The threesome and their Orange teammates met Rutgers last night at the RAC, where the Scarlet Knights needed to fear Pace as much as his more-decorated teammates.
“He is really good against a man-to-man, when he can get in the lane,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. “He is not going to score a lot of points against a zone. But if [Rutgers] plays man-to-man, Josh Pace might play 35 minutes. “
The Orange, who jumped three spots to fourth in the Associated Press poll, have relied on Pace more with each passing game. The 6-foot-5 senior was shooting 58 percent from the field this season, averaging five rebounds and four assists, and he’s scored in double figures in four of six Big East games.
But his most important qualities can’t come through in statistics. Pace is the lone Syracuse player who can create his own shot, a necessity on a potential national championship squad. And besides his usual shooting guard spot, he can spell McNamara as the team’s primary ball handler or move to small forward when Boeheim plays McNamara with Billy Edelin in the backcourt.
The lone skill Pace doesn’t do, it seems, is dribble to his right. In the second half of Syracuse’s game at Notre Dame, Irish defenders gave Pace the entire right side of the floor to work, yet he drove toward the lane and hit a runner just inside the free throw line.
At Providence, the Orange isolated Pace against the taller, slower Tukka Kotti twice in the final two minutes. Despite committing three turnovers earlier in the afternoon, Pace took charge, driving left and scoring twice, the difference in a 75-71 Syracuse win.
“Pace is our most efficient player,” Boeheim said. “He made a couple of turnovers there he doesn’t usually make, but he made up for it with the clock winding down.”