Twice within a one-minute span on Monday night, Tyus Battle flashed the offensive weapon that’s new to this season but old to him.

First, he curled around a ball screen on the left wing, dribbled to the middle and unfurled a 2-foot floater as he reached the interior of North Carolina’s defense.

Two possessions later, Battle ran down the right alley with two defenders in his way. He ripped the ball right to left to avoid the first defender, brought it back as the second defender whiffed and then laid in a righty layup. Syracuse narrowed UNC’s lead to three points, the closest it would be the rest of the game.

“I think (driving to the basket) can be really good for me,” Battle said. “I’ve been knocking down 3s so guys are going to have to start closing out and that just makes drives easier for me. I think I just have to be aggressive.”

The two-play sequence symbolized Battle’s offensive progression this season, playing the lead role in the Orange’s best sequence against its best opponent. After beginning the season hot from behind the arc, Battle has expanded his game to attack more off the dribble. It’s something he thrived at in high school and is starting to succeed at in his freshman season with Syracuse (11-8, 3-3 Atlantic Coast). The 6-foot-6 guard has evolved this season from X-factor off the bench to key offensive contributor and is amid his best stretch of the year having scored 13 or more points in each of the past four games.

Battle is shooting 43.4 percent from 3, ranking 155th in the country. As defenses have begun to close out tighter on him to prevent a shot from the perimeter, more driving lanes have opened up for him to charge and he’s not hesitating to take advantage.

“I think he’s playing at a high level of confidence,” Orange head coach Jim Boeheim said. “He’s got a huge upside with what he can do but he’s been very steady, very solid.”

In high school, Battle drove so much he said he “lived at the basket.” Both his father, Gary Battle, and former coach, Rich Leary, said it was the strongest — and most frequently used — weapon in his arsenal.

Gary coached his son from third grade until 10th, starting and ending every practice with stationary ball-handling drills and dribbling challenges through cones. Players also faced each other in one-on-one, full-court games. There, Tyus honed his dribbling skills to penetrate. Sometimes, Tyus and his teammates even played one-on-two. The offensive player had no choice but to weave through defenders.

“He was always good off the dribble, off the pull-up,” Gary said. “What really surprised me (this season) was how he was making catch-and-shoot 3s at a better than 42-percent clip.”

Battle spent much of the offseason working on that outside shot at the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center because he wanted to round out his skillset. He eventually grew confident enough to let it fly often throughout the beginning of his college career and made seven of his first 14 attempts from beyond the arc. Now, opponents show respect by closing out aggressively on the perimeter. As a result, Battle’s found more space to deploy his drive-by abilities.

Before a practice in the Carrier Dome two weeks ago, Battle worked with assistant coach Gerry McNamara. The former SU guard placed a folding stool at the right wing near the 3-point line. Battle caught passes from McNamara, shimmied around the chair and finished with a familiar 2-foot floater. In the next drill, Battle misdirected imaginary defenders by faking a pass to the short corner and driving the opposite way. McNamara urged Battle to duck lower for leverage.

“It’s just been a more aggressive mindset,” senior Andrew White said. “That’s how he’s playing with a lower base. He’s using his athleticism, and that’s something that’s big for him because he’s versatile. … That makes him hard to guard because he’s doing a little bit of everything.”

On Nov. 26, Battle “looked a little lost,” Boeheim said, in 13 minutes against South Carolina. He said then that the freshman was not injured. Three weeks later, Battle missed several days of practice due to a lingering left foot injury before a Dec. 17 matchup with Georgetown. Battle played 12 minutes against the Hoyas, but Boeheim said he would have preferred to avoid using him at all.

Now healed, Battle has been able to plant harder and generate more power going to the rim. That’s led to more shot attempts closer to the basket. In conference play, 49 percent of his shots have been 2-pointers, compared to his 30 percent against nonconference opponents.

Battle’s progression over the past four games hasn’t been perfect. But he’s taking charge in an offense that’s proven it can’t survive with big performances from just one or two players a night.

The footwork showcasing his capabilities also displays his flaws. Battle scored on two swift drives against Pittsburgh on Jan. 7, but followed it up three days later by traveling twice against Virginia Tech. Four days later, he scored a career-high 21 points against Boston College with a handful of drives.

“Just get to the basket, try to start doing that again,” Battle said of his approach after that game. “And if I get to the basket and the defense converges, it leaves easy kickouts for my teammates.”

Improving his vision and feeding open teammates is the next step for Battle. In the meantime, he’s found new success in what is old.

Published on January 17, 2017 at 11:03 pm

Contact Paul: pmschwed@syr.edu | @pschweds