Jonny Flynn cracked up as soon as he saw the crowd of reporters surrounding Sean Williams, who was sitting on a couch in the Syracuse locker room after Tuesday’s game against Colgate.

Williams, a freshman forward who saw action for the first time in a regular-season game, had pestered Flynn before the contest, insisting he finally was going to receive some playing time.

‘He just kept talking about how he was getting in and how he was going to get his first dunk,’ said Flynn, a fellow freshman point guard. ‘I was happy to see Sean get out there and get two dunks. That’s some good times.’

Williams was just one of several Syracuse players who got on the court a lot more than they were used to. The Orange played its first game without junior guard Eric Devendorf, who suffered a season-ending injury to his left knee Saturday.

SU head coach Jim Boeheim was also asked about the absence of senior guard Josh Wright, who missed his second straight game.

‘He left school. Never took his tests. He just left,’ Boeheim said.

Devendorf’s 34 minutes a game went primarily on Tuesday to freshman Scoop Jardine, who played 29 minutes at shooting guard. But Devendorf’s absence also gave forward Kristof Ongenaet and walk-on guard Justin Thomas extended playing time for the second game in a row, as well as a chance for Williams to make his official Orange debut. Each of them chipped in to help Syracuse hammer Colgate, 87-59.

‘When you lose a guy like Eric, it’s tough mentally, but our players have to step it up,’ Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. ‘It’s an opportunity for them. And I think the guys who got their opportunities stepped up tonight and did a lot of good things.’

Devendorf has not spoken publicly since his injury and was not available for comment Tuesday. SU’s athletics department announced before the game the junior was scheduled for surgery on Jan. 7 to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

He is eligible for a medical hardship waiver and an extra year of eligibility, if he desires.

‘It was hard,’ forward Paul Harris said of playing without Devendorf. ‘But if we keep that in our mind that we think he’s going to come back and save us, we might play bad, so we’ve got to move on. We have him in our prayers but at the same time, we have to play our game.’

Boeheim told ESPN.com’s Andy Katz earlier this week he would move Harris into the shooting guard position, a move that would bump Donte Greene to small forward and Rick Jackson into the starting lineup as power forward.

But he reversed course Saturday, slotting Jardine into the starting lineup at Devendorf’s shooting guard position. Jardine, who scored four points and dished out five assists to go along with his four turnovers, received mixed reviews with his performance.

Boeheim tempered his praise of Jardine by pointing out the freshman made ‘two really glaringly bad turnovers.’

‘He was on the verge where he could have had a real good night,’ Boeheim said. ‘I thought he was active. I thought he showed some signs of getting in the lane which is what he does best. He could have had a solid night.’

Ongenaet, who entered the game averaging just over seven minutes per contest, played 22 minutes and scored a career-best seven points, hitting a 3-pointer in the process, and also chipped in with six boards.

‘For me, it’s a big chance to get more minutes to prove myself, that I can be a part of this team,’ Ongenaet said. ‘When you only get a couple of minutes, you have to perform right away. You really can’t get into the game.’

But the loudest cheers of the night were for the 6-foot-11 Williams, who entered the game with 9:18 to go in the second half. With the Orange already up by 24 points in the last minute of the game, Williams electrified the Carrier Dome crowd by corralling a Rick Jackson pass along the baseline and soaring above the rim for a one-handed flush.

Williams gave the crowd one last thing to cheer about with another emphatic jam in the game’s waning seconds.

‘Everybody else has got a dunk on the team,’ Williams said. ‘I finally got mine. I’m happy about that.’

Published on December 20, 2007 at 12:00 pm