Syracuse, N.Y. -- Whether he's catching a pass or grabbing a rebound, when Syracuse center Paschal Chukwu gets the ball, he's usually surrounded by opposing players.

Those players often try to strip the ball away from the 7-foot-2 Chukwu.

Too often last season, Chukwu provided an easy target. He would get a rebound and then hold the ball out where it could be swiped, swatted or stolen by a defender.

During the Orange's workouts this fall, Syracuse assistant coach Allen Griffin came up with a motivational technique straight out of the baseball movie "Major League.''

In the movie, a character named Willie Mays Hayes, a light-hitting speedster who liked to swing for the fences, was made to do pushups every time he hit the ball in the air.

Chukwu was Griffin's Willie Mays Hayes. Only Chukwu served his penalty every time he didn't bring the ball close to his chest, or as Griffin says, chin it.

"Every time he doesn't chin it and bring it close to his chest, I make him do 20 pushups,'' Griffin said. "So if he doesn't do it three times, that's 60 pushups that he owes me at the end of practice.''

A psychiatrist would call it negative reinforcement. It seems to be working.

"I've done a lot of pushups,'' Chuwku said with a pained look on his face. "I'm still doing them, but not as much as before. It's something I'm working on. It's got to be part of my game.''

After missing almost all of the previous two seasons, Chukwu started every game for Syracuse last year. He averaged 5.4 points and 6.8 rebounds. He also finished second in the ACC in blocked shots. His 91 blocked shots were the most by a Syracuse player in 10 years.

Even though he enjoyed a very successful junior year, Chukwu needed to improve in areas involving technique (hence, the pushups) and strength (which meant more than pushups).

Chukwu weighs 228 pounds, but because of his extraordinary height, he is still very thin.

So this past summer, Chukwu worked diligently to gain strength. He bought into a weight-lifting regimen designed by SU's strength and conditioning coach Ryan Cabiles.

"I focused more on strength than weight,'' Chukwu said. "I have to be strong to withstand all those physical players in there.''

Griffin said he immediately noticed a difference in Chukwu.

"I think he dedicated himself since the last game of last season to strength and conditioning,'' Griffin said. "He's playing stronger. He's playing a lot lower.''

Chukwu also spent part of the summer with his host family in Westport, Connecticut. His host mother, Sheila Featherston, plays tennis and coaxed Chukwu onto the court for some cardio-tennis workouts.

It didn't go well at first.

"I grew up playing table-tennis, so I don't hold the racket the right way,'' Chukwu said. "I hold it like in table-tennis. All my hits are different from the way it's supposed to be. But they taught me a little bit, so I was able to get the hang of it.''

Playing tennis helped Chukwu with both his footwork and his hand-eye coordination.

"It was partly for fun,'' he said, "but in the back of my mind I was doing it with a purpose.''

Griffin said Chukwu's work on the tennis court, in the weight-room and in practice has paid dividends. He said Chukwu might be Syracuse's most improved player, an incredible statement considering that this will be the 23-year-old Chukwu's fifth year in college.

"After my first time working him out, I said to coach, (Jim) Boeheim, 'Man, Paschal really looks good','' Griffin said. "He's a different dude confidence-wise.''

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