Syracuse Basketball: Meet Marek Dolezaj, the Orange’s own Rocky Balboa

Syracuse basketball big man Marek Dolezaj is tough as nails.

Former Syracuse basketball power forward Tyler Lydon may have connected on a 3-pointer in the 2016 Elite Eight versus top-seeded Virginia minus one of his shoes, but he’s got nothing on what current Orange power forward/center Marek Dolezaj did on Saturday night against Georgetown.

Dolezaj, in what head coach Jim Boeheim described as an “accidental play,” lost part of one of his front teeth toward the end of the ‘Cuse 74-69 victory over the Hoyas in a non-conference bruiser from the Carrier Dome.

After catching an elbow from a Georgetown player, with his tooth chipped and blood coming out of his mouth, Dolezaj was heading toward the locker room, but Boeheim wasn’t having any of that.

In the head coach’s post-game press conference via Zoom, Boeheim said that even though Dolezaj hurt his tooth, he didn’t hurt any other part of his body, so “let’s go.”

Boeheim noted how important the 6-foot-10 senior is to the Orange, adding that Dolezaj “toughed it out.”

I’ve gone on record in saying that Dolezaj is one of my favorite all-time Syracuse basketball players, and I’ve been following the team for decades.

Plus, he’s still got the rest of his senior year to go, and there’s the possibility he could take advantage of the NCAA letting every current student-athlete in winter sports have an extra season of eligibility amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Versus the Hoyas (3-8), Dolezaj competed for all 40 minutes, finishing with 11 points, nine rebounds and about half of a tooth missing, but hey, his squad won.

To date in the 2020-21 campaign for the Orange (7-2), Dolezaj is doing his usual all-around stellar things. Per ESPN statistics, he is averaging 35.3 minutes, 12.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.9 blocks while connecting on 55.7 percent from the field and 83.3 percent from the charity stripe.

Dolezaj is the ultimate glue-guy. He is unselfish, perhaps even too much so. He possesses tremendous court vision. As Boeheim and sophomore point guard Joe Girard III said in the post-game virtual press conference, Dolezaj at the No. 5 spot draws out the opposing team’s center, helping to space the floor and opening up driving lanes.

Dolezaj, who also took a rough charge against former Duke superstar Zion Williamson in a ‘Cuse upset of No. 1 Duke on the road about two years ago, was the talk of social media following the Syracuse basketball triumph against Georgetown.

A Twitter exchange between him and Girard was fabulous. Girard, in the virtual call with media members, praised Dolezaj’s toughness and smart play on the court. “He’ll battle through anything,” Girard said.