CHARLOTTE, N.C. — By the time C.J. Fair finally stepped into the ballroom at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Charlotte, N.C., a crowd had already formed by his placard. Television cameras set up from the opposite side of the table where his nameplate, garnished with a fresh Atlantic Coast Conference logo, stood.

The questions ranged from the general to the specific, but all were repetitive.

What’s it like being the newcomer to the conference, and to be a candidate for that league’s player of the year?

“It’s going to be a lot of excitement for us,” he said. That was his stock answer for the day. “We want to win the ACC and that’s something I can brag about years later.”

The typically soft-spoken small forward was thrust into the spotlight at ACC Media Day on Wednesday as the shiniest new toy in a league full of fresh faces. He spoke hours before he was announced as the ACC Preseason Player of the Year, but as recorders, cameras and notebooks swirled around him, it was clear that he would be one of the league’s main attractions.

As a horde of reporters formed near the Orange’s table, Baye Moussa Keita sat alone until two members of the Syracuse media finally took a seat alongside him. He was the forgotten man, despite being from the team everyone seemed to want to learn so much about.

The center doesn’t think the attention’s going to Fair’s head, though, even with hype abound.

“We all get interviewed after the game, so we’re kind of used to it,” Keita said. He was actually even happy with the attention he was getting. “Usually I’m the first one leaving the locker room for a reason.”

Around this same time, Jim Boeheim sat down for an interview on ESPN. Fair nearly left for the NBA after last season’s Final Four run, but his decision to return left the Orange as the No. 2 preseason team in the conference and Fair as the odds-on favorite to claim the Player of the Year title.

“I told my wife it was the biggest day of the year,” the head coach said on ESPN, reflecting on the day Fair decided to return, “and not her birthday or anniversary.”

A few hours later, Boeheim’s reception was the same as Fair’s. By the time he sat down at his table in the final interview session of the day, the seats were all taken and a blob was forming behind the chair he was set to take.

He started with Tobacco Road memories and talked about the incredible shape that the ACC is taking, but the topic eventually turned to Fair.

He didn’t know that his star would be voted the preseason player of the year, but he knew his decision to return could set him up for that.

“I thought it was really, by far, the smartest decision,” Boeheim said.

He said that Fair still had too much to work on. His jump shot improved down the stretch and he flashed exceptional ability in both the high and low posts during Syracuse’s NCAA Tournament runs.

Fair was projected as a late first-round pick after last season. His ball handling was still questionable and his jumper still needed some work.

But returning was a risk. NBA scouts view age as a major factor and Fair will be 23 by the time he can make his NBA debut. But he could also surge up draft boards, as Boeheim expects he will, with a strong senior season.

“He’s improved every year,” Boeheim said. “That’s the goal. We want our guys to get better.”

His role will be different in 2013-14. Boeheim believes his frontcourt — which also features Jerami Grant, Rakeem Christmas and DaJuan Coleman — is the deepest he’s ever had. Fair’s minutes could dip.

Still, he’s the unquestioned face of the Orange — and his new conference, too. An ACC Player of the Year award could be just the boost his résumé needs to fight his way into the lottery.

“He’s pretty steady. Comes to play, does his thing,” Boeheim said. “He’s ready to go.”

Published on October 17, 2013 at 2:11 am

Contact David: dbwilson@syr.edu | @DBWilson2