He's not SU's leading scorer, or rebounder, or assister, or stealer, or shot-blocker. But Marek Dolezaj does rank in the top five on his team in all five of those categories. And, there is little doubt he's tops in toughness, leading the Orange in charges taken (if that stat was tracked, he may be in the Top 10 all-time), not to mention, chipped teeth.

"His numbers really don't reflect what his value is for our team," gushed Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim Monday. "He's just easily, by far, been our most valuable player."

What You Need To Know

  • Marek Dolezaj ranks in the top 5 on the team in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks

  • The 6-10 senior forward has only gained 21 pounds in his four years on campus

  • Head coach Jim Boeheim calls Dolezaj "easily" the team's MVP because of his defensive and offensive versatility

  • Syracuse plays at Louisville Wednesday night at 6:30 pm on the ACC Network

Dolezaj leads SU in minutes this season, averaging a shade over 36 per game, and most of it while playing out of position at center. The 6-foot, 10-inch forward has spent plenty of time at the center position in the past as part of Boeheim's big man rotation, but with starting center Bourama Sidibe sidelined since the season opener with a knee injury, Marek has been pressed into full-time duty this year as the man in the middle.

As a starting forward in the first game of the season, Dolezaj produced his first points-assist double double with 20 points and 10 assists. Since then, the slim Slovakian, who's only managed to add 21 pounds to his wiry frame since arriving on campus four years ago, has been forced to deal with taller, and usually much bigger, opposing centers. And the results have not always been pretty.

"He gets overmatched in there," said Boeheim, who watched Marek manage just one rebound in 35 minutes against North Carolina. "Sometimes he just gets overmatched, and he does the best he can to fight it off."

On the plus side, Dolezaj is having a career year at the free throw line, so apparently the nightly beatings haven't taken a huge toll on his body. He's also done an admirable job of staying out of foul trouble while going against much bigger players, with zero disqualifications this season after fouling out nine times last year.

But, the quality Boeheim both admires and requires most out of Marek is his knack for keeping the Syracuse offense flowing. The Orange rank second in the ACC in scoring offense (76.61 points per game), and their lanky-but-durable center is one of the biggest reasons why. Dolezaj may not score the basket, or even pick up the assist, on many plays he may make the pass that leads to the assist, or set the screen that leads to the basket. He also has the ability to take his man to the basket, and it's those offensive qualities, Boeheim says, along with his toughness on defense, that make him an invaluable cog in Cuse's wheel.

"We don't have anybody that can, really, play that position defensively, and then handle the ball as much as he does on offense," said Boeheim. "This year, we're probably going through Marek more because he's in there the whole game, usually. He makes good decisions out of that position with the ball. We really don't have anybody else that can do that."

So, if you were thinking Alan Griffin or Quincy Guerrier were your hands-down picks for the MVP of this Syracuse basketball season, you're probably not wrong. But, you may also want to consider Boeheim's choice.

I mean, after all, have either of them played with chipped tooth this season?