WASHINGTON — James Southerland III came clean yesterday, laid his soul bare for the first time since he sat for six games in January while his integrity was questioned.
The NCAA had questions about a term paper Southerland had written and Syracuse had to investigate.
In the senior season of a career in which he barely played as a freshman and had a limited role as a sophomore, Southerland would sit alone in his campus apartment and watch the Orange play — six times.
“It [stinks],’’ Southerland said with a chuckle. “It’s one of those things you work so hard and something pops up that you would never expect. It’s like when are you ever going to get a break?’’
How about now?
Southerland missed six games. If Syracuse wins the NCAA Tournament, suddenly a real possibility, then Southerland, the Bayside Bomber, will have gotten back those six games — big-time.
The next step comes today when the No. 4 seed Orange (29-9) take on No. 3 seed Marquette (26-8) in an all-Big East East Region final. Marquette beat Syracuse earlier this season, 74-71, by going to the foul line 35 times and making 29.
That was Southerland’s fifth game back and the Orange were relearning who they are and what they could be.
“It takes a while, some time to get used to, but basketball in general is about adjusting to whatever is thrown at you,’’ Syracuse senior Brandon Triche said.
Adjust to whatever is thrown at you — perfect.
The NCAA almost had Syracuse throw the book at Southerland. He called home a few days after being declared ineligible and had a hard heart-to-heart with his father, James, Jr., the man who would wake up at 5 a.m. and walk with his son the few blocks over to the Cross Island YMCA to work on III’s game.
“He didn’t say it,” Southerland Jr. recalled, “but I knew he was wondering, ‘Why me? Why in my senior year?’ ’’
The Southerlands weren’t the only ones wondering and hurting. Coach Jim Boeheim found himself thinking back to his sophomore season at Syracuse when he rode the bench.
“It’s crushing,’’ Boeheim said. “It’s crushing. We sometimes forget as we get older how important it is and what you lose.’’
Worse than the lost games was almost losing his integrity in the public eye. On the afternoon of Feb. 8, Southerland faced a university review panel comprised of faculty members, administrators and fellow students.
They asked about a term paper. The word plagiarized was dropped like a lead basketball.
“The thing that hurt is that — and obviously I’m his father — but my son is a good kid,’’ James Southerland Sr., told The Post in a telephone interview. “And that’s what they were questioning. They weren’t questioning him as a basketball player. They were questioning him as a person.’’
There shouldn’t be any questions about Southerland’s character. After a solid career at Cardozo High in Bayside, Southerland took two years at Notre Dame Prep to — get this — improve his academics.
When he got to Syracuse he found his place — at the end of the bench.
He played in just 13 games as a freshman, but 28 as a sophomore once he proved to Boeheim he had grasped the intricacies of the 2-3 zone and the difference between scoring and playing team offense.
“One thing that didn’t stress me out is, OK, I’ve been in this situation before,’’ Southerland said. “There were times I could play when I wasn’t playing.’’
He tried to not watch the games when he was away from the team but that didn’t work. He would sit and watch, seeing the opportunities when his 3-point shooting (40.6 percent this season) might have opened the floor.
Syracuse is a lousy 3-point shooting team without Southerland (30.9 percent). The Golden Eagles will not give up much inside, so the Bayside Bomber could be the difference.
He remembers the call he got from his academic advisor the morning of Sunday, Feb. 10, remembers hearing he was eligible. Southerland scored 13 points on 3-of-7 shooting from long range in a 77-58 win over St. John’s that day.
When asked what went through his body when he heard the nightmare was over, Southerland said, “Right away, I was ready to play.’’
“It felt like someone put you in timeout for a month for no reason. And you’re finally able to play.’’
Six games were taken from James Southerland III. He has gotten four back. Three more wins and he’s a national champion, integrity intact.