Q Ball! The Game We Play
11/2/2010 9:50:22 AM | Women's Basketball
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After winning multiple postseason games for the first time in program history last season, the Orange is poised to elevate to a new level. SU plans to compete for a spot in the upper-echelon of the BIG EAST Conference and get back to the NCAA Tournament. In its quest to become one of the elite programs in nation, the Orange will rely on its highly experienced senior backcourt tandem combined with the talents of two up-and-coming sophomores and a flurry of others looking to establish themselves as key players on the collegiate level.
“We did so many positive things last year that this year I just want to focus on those things and get better,” said head coach #Quentin Hillsman#. “Going into this preseason we got back to where we started last year right to where we ended and just kept the season going. I'm very excited about our team and our work ethic, all the things we've done up until this point have been very good.”
Hillsman's squad needs to gel quickly as it will be tested early in its non-conference slate, facing three big conference teams before it enters the rigors of its BIG EAST Conference Season. The Orange will battle 2010 NCAA Tournament qualifier Ohio State at the Carrier Dome on Dec. 11 and Clemson and 2010 National Semi-Finalist Baylor in the Bahamas Sunsplash Shootout from Dec. 21-23. Adding to the challenge Ohio State and Baylor return individual players on the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 30.
“If you look at our non-league schedule, what those teams have done in the past and who they have returning, we have a very competitive schedule,” said Hillsman. “We're very excited for our season, very excited about the non-league and we're ready to go.”
One of the key obstacles the Orange will face is replacing the production of all-time leading scorer and rebounder Nicole Michael. Not one individual player is expected to fill the void left by the program's greatest player, but solid contributions by the returners and newcomers should provide SU with plenty of scoring and rebounding.
Hillsman believes that losing Michael leaves a large void on his squad, but not one that cannot be filled.
“It is a humungous loss,” said Hillsman. “She has been around since I've been here, so we've been here together and just not having her face here is different. We have plenty of capable players to come in and pick up the slack. We're not necessarily looking for one player, there could be two or three that can step in and take up her numbers.”
The obvious strength of the Orange is its backcourt lead by seniors #Erica Morrow and Tasha Harris#. Hillsman will look to his two floor generals to provide physical and emotional leadership, take care of the ball and make big plays on both offense and defense.
In basketball, a team cannot win with simply the steady play of guards. Inside players are relied upon to do the dirty work in the paint by rebounding and finishing around the rim. Sophomores #Carmen Tyson-Thomas# and #Kayla Alexander# look to build upon stellar rookie campaigns and provide steady interior play to take the pressure off Morrow and Harris.
“We've been doing some things trying to change the way we play because Nicole allowed us to play a certain way where we could keep her out on the perimeter,” said Hillsman. “We've done some things to that position in one or two steps to become more effective around the elbow area and playing the short corner. Hopefully we have enough inside where we can step in and create some more baskets at the rim and pick up some of the slack in rebounding from our perimeter guards.”
The Orange has been one of the top defensive and rebounding teams in the country throughout Hillsman's tenure. Do not look for this to change. SU will pressure the ball and jump into passing lanes to force turnovers and cause opposing teams to be disorganized in running offensive plays.
Fantastic Four
While the Orange plan on receiving contributions from a variety of players to win games, it will rely on its core foursome of Morrow, Harris, Tyson-Thomas and Alexander to consistently play at a high level. The performance of the fantastic four will determine whether the Orange will reach its goal of an NCAA Tournament berth and an upper-tier BIG EAST Conference finish or if it will be back in the WNIT.
Morrow is the bona fide team leader. The former McDonald's All-American has started all 97 games in her Syracuse career. Morrow is the returning leading scorer after finishing second on the team last season with 11.7 points per game. She also led the squad and was third in the conference with 80 steals.
“Erica has grown up in our program and done so many different things,” said Hillsman. “We look for her to do a lot of things for us, handle the basketball, score, really get down the other end, be scrappy and defend. This year she'll be able to do more of those things with the players that we have around her as far as the athletes and the size inside.”
Morrow enters the season ready to solidify her position as one of the all-time greatest Orange players. She currently ranks third on the all-time list with 171 3-point field goals, sixth with 218 steals and seventh with 1,325 points and 284 free throws made.
As the team's primary ball handler, Harris will look to set up others with her court vision and passing touch. As a junior, Harris finished first on the team and ninth in the conference with 126 assists. She also ended the season seventh in the conference with a 1.4 assist-to-turnover ratio. If Harris can stay healthy throughout the season, she will become SU's all-time leader in games played and games started.
With opposing team's focusing on containing Morrow and Harris, Alexander should have plenty of room to operate around the paint. The sophomore was named to the All-BIG EAST Conference Freshman Team. She led the Orange with 69 blocks and was third on the squad with 10.8 points per game.
“The coaches in our conference really respect Kayla and her game,” said Hillsman. "She is going to have to be able to shoot the ball quickly when she gets the ball inside because I'm sure they'll be running double-teams at her and doing some things in their schemes to stop her.”
Finishing off the Orange's balanced offensive attack is Tyson-Thomas who can make teams pay by hitting 3-point shots and cutting through the lane. Along with Alexander, Tyson-Thomas was also named to the All- BIG EAST Freshman Team. She led the team with a .732 free-throw percentage. A strong rebounder, especially for her size, Tyson Thomas ripped down 13 boards on two occasions last season.
“Carmen has come back shooting the ball real strong,” said Hillsman.
Returners
The Orange roster contains plenty of athletes who played significant minutes last season who are ready to step up as key players. They will be needed to compliment the talents of the fantastic four and play well when their names are called upon.
“We are very talented from top to bottom,” said Hillsman. “Every player on our roster will have the opportunity to contribute when they're on the floor.”
Junior guard #Tyler Ash# leads the list of returners ready to play a bigger role. The Liverpool, N.Y. native played in all 36 games for the Orange, averaging 4.3 and 4.0 rebounds.
“One thing about Tyler is she plays so many different positions for us that she is very valuable to us and we're looking forward to her having a good year, said Hillsman. “She has played four positions for us. She is a good basketball player and we have to put her in position to make plays. This year we're going to give her an opportunity to get out in space, use her abilities and make plays.”
Sophomore #Elashier Hall# should see a lot of time at the guard spot, helping to give Harris and Morrow breathers. Hall played in all 36 games and average 3.5 points and 16.4 minutes.
“Elashier has really come back a much better basketball player,” said Hillsman.
A second junior, #Troya Berry# will be counted on to mix it up in the post. She played in 23 games as a sophomore, averaging 1.2 points and 5.5 minutes.
Syracuse's last returning letterwinners are senior guard #Carniece Greene# and junior guard #Chanieka Williams#. Greene from Martinsville, Va. and Williams out of Seattle, Wash. will have bigger roles after playing in eight and ten games respectively last year.
Newcomers
The Orange adds six new players to its roster, headlined by junior Georgia Tech transfer #Iasia Hemingway# who sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules. Hemingway, the 2007 New Jersey State High School Player of the Year scored 625 points and grabbed 297 rebounds in her two seasons as a Yellow Jacket. As a sophomore, Hemingway averaged 11.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.9 steals.
“Iasia is a very explosive player,” said Hillsman. "When you look at our roster she is the highest rated player coming out of high school that we've ever had in this program, so we're looking for her to step in right away and contribute. She is a very good basketball player and she does things on the floor that you can't coach, like the way she finishes around the rim. She is very vocal and has a lot of big game experience.”
Adding depth to the backcourt are true freshmen #Phylesha Bullard#, #Rachel Coffey# and #La'Shay Taft#. Bullard was ranked as the 69th best prospect in the country by Collegiate Girl's Basketball Report. Coffey led Kingston High School (N.Y.) to five Section 9 Class AA championships and three trips to the state final four. Taft averaged 20.4 points, 6.5 steals, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists her senior year at Baltimore City College High School (Md.) while often playing only a half in most games.
“Phylesha is just very athletic and she does some things on the floor for us that are intangible, getting loose balls, keeping balls alive, she is always in the right place and is a very smart player.”
Rachel has been very good for us and one thing she and I discussed in recruiting was that she would be able to come in and play her game. It is one of those things where being a point guard you want to over control the position but I've stepped back and let her play her game, make some mistakes and do some things on the floor to get better,” Hillsman said.
Rounding out the roster in the post is redshirt freshman #Shakeya Leary# who won two New York State Federation Championships at Murry Bergtraum High School.
“Shakeya has been very good for us,” said Hillsman. “For the first time in a long time we have two players in the post that can really step in, play hard, contribute and we can split that time in half.”
Freshman guard Tiara Butler is redshirting. She was ranked as the 91st best prospect in the country by Collegiate Girl's Basketball Report.
“It was something she and I talked about in the recruiting process just to break the class up and to give an opportunity for her to take a year, learn our system and get ready to play some meaningful minutes for us next year,” said Hillsman.
Hillsman is hopeful that the experience of the returning players, the talents of the transfer Hemingway and the incoming freshmen will more than make up for the loss of Michael. In the 2010-11 season, its NCAA Tournament or bust for the Orange.
“From top to bottom we have a very good roster, said Hillsman. “We have good balance and during the season we just have to correct 10 possessions. If we correct 10 possessions from last season, it is a different season. We're in the NCAA Tournament and we would probably be top 15 preseason and so many things changed.”
It was about five to 10 possessions that really changed our season so we need to pay attention to the details and really do some things that will have us play better basketball down the stretch and really close games out.”
