Sunday and Monday blended into a blur of jump shots and barbells for Andy Rautins. At the Mark Cuban Heroes Basketball Center in Dallas, he’s sleeping at the gym. 

Literally.

After an 11:30 p.m. training session Sunday night, Rautins passed out inside the locker room. His apartment doesn’t get the Internet, and he had to finish some homework. So Rautins’ trainers hooked him up with makeshift amenities and hit the lights.

‘They threw me some blankets, and I kicked it there,’ Rautins said.

This is Rautins’ new life. After serving as the torchbearer along one of Syracuse’s most decorated seasons ever, it’s back to square one. Back to proving himself all over again. Monday morning, he trained at 10 a.m. Then again at 2 p.m. And again at 4 p.m. 

In Dallas, Rautins is redefining himself for the NBA. This isn’t a job interview. Rather, a training ground. There aren’t any NBA teams stopping by. But with each 3-on-3 game against NBA players and each set of squats, Rautins is quietly polishing two specific areas of his game.

He played exclusively in a 2-3 zone at SU, so he’s drilling himself in man-to-man again. And after playing shooting guard throughout college, he’s handling the ball as much as possible. In the pros, he’ll need to. Six-foot-4 shooting guards aren’t in demand. 

So, in short, sleeping is a luxury.

‘I’m just trying to get stronger and work on my one-on-one defense,’ Rautins said. ‘It’s a big change going from zone to playing more of an isolation-type defense.’

Once the dust settled on Syracuse’s punch-in-the-mouth Sweet 16 loss, Rautins trucked to Dallas. With the exception of a quick trip back to Syracuse, the pre-draft camp in Chicago and individual team workouts, that’s where he’ll stay until the NBA Draft. A batch of pro and college players are gradually joining Rautins in Dallas, including Golden State Warriors forward Anthony Randolph.

It took four years to shed his sniper sidekick label in college. With a personal trainer, a skills coach and a strength trainer along with constant two-a-days, Rautins is shedding this stereotype again. 

To the naked eye, players like him are a dime a dozen. This résumé is recycled annually. Highly successful college player. Deadly from outside. Team leader. A player oozing with — channel your inner Mel Kiper Jr. — intangibles. 

Each day in Dallas, Rautins is doing everything in his power to prove he’s different. To prove he does translate to the NBA. There are more success stories than a Nutrisystem commercial. Last year, after torching defenses for 28.6 points per game as a junior, rail-thin Davidson guard Stephen Curry had no choice but to become a point guard.

He did and pioneered Golden State’s fun-and-gun offense. Now he’s a leading Rookie of the Year candidate. 

Within days, Curry might be joining Rautins in Dallas. Good news. Rautins’ offseason mission is the same. 

‘I’m just going to continue to work on my ball-handling ability at the point guard position,’ Rautins said. ‘Try to get stronger and prepare for the physicality of the league.’

As for the zone-to-man switch, this isn’t anything new for Syracuse prospects. Some players make the transition better than others. The simple change from standing upright to crouching down to the court can be an awkward process, but Rautins insists his experience with Team Canada in the summer helps. 

Every summer he trades elbow shots with grown men in international play. To him, playing man defense is nothing more than hopping back on a bicycle. It’s not as daunting.

‘That’s something I’ve become accustomed to,’ Rautins said of the man defense. ‘In zone, you’re relying more on the team and help situations as opposed to man-to-man, which is more one-on-one.’

Granted, his window is short. So many SU standouts in recent memory — Paul Harris and Eric Devendorf come to mind — have seen their NBA hopes flame out. Be honest. You had no idea New Zealand had a basketball league. 

Like them, Rautins put up big numbers. But unlike them, Rautins relished his role as the unquestioned team spokesman. Soul-searching questions from reporters were embraced and analyzed. Never shunned. When Syracuse was blindsided by Le Moyne, Rautins summoned his team for a players-only meeting. When his team rolled to a No. 1 ranking, he stayed grounded. On the court, he was the team’s heartbeat.

Leadership should count for something. Glue guys abound the NBA. One Eastern Conference NBA scout sitting on press row at an SU game raved about Rautins’ leadership, insisting it’s something teams look for. 

But still, Rautins isn’t complacent. Checking out Spurs-Mavericks playoffs games from the locker room at night, Rautins is reminded that changes must be made. Changes he’s taking head-on. 

‘I welcome those challenges and am working extremely hard down here,’ Rautins said. ‘I’m around some really successful people. We’re getting in a lot of hard work here.’

thdunne@syr.edu

Published on April 26, 2010 at 12:00 pm