PITTSBURGH — They would wake up around 5 a.m. each day and walk the few blocks over to the Cross Island YMCA. The gym opened at 6. James Southerland Jr., and his son, James Southerland III, would bond over jumpers and footwork.
“He was with me every morning,’’ James III told The Post. “He’s my biggest fan and critic. He always made sure my knees were bent, I followed through on my shots. All the little things, the fundamentals, that was important to him.’’
Fundamentals, of course.
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If you don’t have a solid foundation, how do you do what James III, a versatile swingman from Queens, has done for Syracuse these last few magical weeks in March?
Remember Syracuse’s come-from-behind win over Connecticut at the Garden in the Big East Conference tournament? It was James III who drained a 3 from the top of the key that put the Orange ahead to stay in a 58-55 win.
And in Thursday’s survival test in the NCAA tournament against UNC-Asheville, it was James III who hit a 3 from the wing with 2:32 left to finally give Syracuse control of a game it would win, 72-65.
Fast forward to Saturday’s blowout win over scrappy Kansas State — there he was again, Big Game James. His 3 from the corner did a 180 around the rim, kissed the backboard and dropped. That gave Syracuse a 58-44 lead en route to a 75-59 pulverizing of the Wildcats.
“When James shoots, I just look to see the arc on the ball,’’ James Southerland Jr. said. “If he has that nice high arc, I know it’s going in. If his ball is flat, then I’ll watch the next one to see what he’s doing wrong.’’
James Southerland Jr. isn’t one of those crazy “Marinovich Dads” who demands his son eat alfalfa sprouts and drink protein shakes. Neither father nor son is quite sure how the early morning shooting sessions got started at Irwin Altman Middle School. One morning they went there and kept coming back.
“There aren’t many places in the city where you can get open court time,’’ said James Southerland Jr. “We just fell into it.’’
James Southerland III has continued to fall into it. He seemed stuck on the Syracuse bench behind a bevy of talented wings. His minutes had dwindled to as few as three in the win at Rutgers on Feb. 27.
Ron Naclerio, his coach at Cardoza High, noticed the shot which had been honed at the Cross Island Y had gone flat. One phone call helped fix that.
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim gave James Southerland III 20 minutes in the regular-season finale against Louisville. He responded with seven points on 2-of-3 shooting and four rebounds.
“Let’s be honest, at a program like Syracuse, when you get your chance you better make the most of it,’’ said James Southerland Jr.
When the Orange arrived in Pittsburgh without center Fab Melo, who was declared ineligible by the school, James III and freshman center Rakeem Christmas knew they were going to be counted on more heavily.
James III got 15 points and eight rebounds against UNC-Asheville and 15 points and six boards against K-State. When the Syracuse locker room opened after the K-State win, a firing squad of TV cameras surrounded James III in front of his locker.
His newly acquired nickname, “Big Game James,” was making its way around the locker room. James III said he thought his father coined it.
“That’s the first I’m hearing about it,’’ said James Jr. “Big Game James, I have no idea where that came from.’’
Sure you do, James Jr.
Sure you do.