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8:23 AM - 12 Nov 2014
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SU Women's Hoops@CuseWBB 7h7 hours ago
.@CoachQatSU addresses the media ahead of Sunday's season opener. #OrangeNation
WBB SU vs Fordham 11/16/14 Noon @Cuse
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http://www.dailyorange.com/2014/11/diamond-in-the-rough-2/
The Daily Orange • Basketball Guide
Diamond in
the rough
Henderson transfers to Syracuse for 5th year, looks to spark offense in guard Sykes’ absence
By Paul SchwedelsonStaff Writer
November 13, 2014 at 1:06 am
Diamond Henderson’s mother, Crystal, stayed in the family’s silver Ford Expedition reading books with a small flashlight as Diamond played with her father, Chris, and many of her six siblings well past midnight.
The Hendersons didn’t have gym access, so on cool summer nights, the full court in Dupree Park in Woodstock, Georgia was where they played. Crystal would bring snacks and sandwiches for the kids and shout out “Hustle harder” and “Run faster” from the car until she fell asleep in the van.
“By the time they got back in the car, the smell wasn’t too good,” Crystal Henderson said. “But it was just peaceful, it was serene. It was what we did as a family.”
The family’s passion for the game bred Henderson’s, who used the family’s move from Hempstead, New York to Marietta, Georgia to round out her game and develop into a scoring threat.
Henderson was heavily recruited out of high school and again when she graduated from Tennessee Tech in May with one year left of eligibility. She transferred to Syracuse to pursue a master’s degree in instructional design and now only has class one day a week, allowing for plenty of time to work on her game in the gym.
The 5-foot-6 guard averaged 19.7 points per game at Tennessee Tech last year and could potentially fill the scoring void left by Brittney Sykes, the Orange’s leading scorer last year, who is recovering from a torn ACL.
“She’s just a complete offensive player,” SU head coach Quentin Hillsman said of Henderson. “She’s going to have a role for us that’s going to be very, very important.”
Henderson’s basketball seeds were planted in Hempstead, New York, where she grew up prior to moving to Georgia before entering sixth grade.
Chris Henderson also grew up in Hempstead and the drive-to-the-basket, street-ball style is how he learned the game. That’s what he passed down to his daughter.
Henderson and her younger brother by 18 months, Jade, would take a five-minute walk to Lincoln Park in Hempstead. There, she played with the boys.
“Everybody always wanted Diamond on their team,” Jade Henderson said. “‘Oh, I want Diamond, Diamond, Diamond.’ Everyone knew she was going to be a ball player. Everyone.”
In the parks, it was much more common to attack the hoop. Henderson saw that outside jump shots were unusual and modeled her game with strong dribbling abilities and aggressiveness in the paint, as Crystal Henderson said she would pass up open 3s.
Chris Henderson said that in New York, the objective on offense was to make your defender look “silly.” He only learned the game by playing in the parks and schoolyards.
When he taught his daughter how to play, he told her to try and humiliate her defender with her ball-handling skills. He taught her daughter how to play with street-ball competitiveness. She was determined to win and if she didn’t, she would cry.
Raising a family in Hempstead presented challenges for the family, prompting Chris Henderson to move the family from his home to Georgia.
“It wasn’t like we were pressured into this bad environment and she was scared of getting hurt or shot and killed,” Chris Henderson said, “but that area itself … I knew there was an easier way to get my kids to the right schools. They needed to be successful without any distractions.”
When the family moved, Henderson’s basketball career was at a crossroads. Her coaches no longer taught the New York playground style. Instead, they preached fundamentals.
“She would come home and get frustrated saying ‘Daddy, they told me to do X, Y and Z. I should have been doing such and such and such,’” Chris Henderson said.
“I said, ‘Hey, forget them. Do what you have to do.’”
But ultimately, Henderson bought in. She began blending the two styles together as she grew even more dangerous with the ball.
She began developing a jump shot and could beat a defender regardless of whether they were up close or sagging off.
“Diamond’s greatest quality is she can score,” said Jim Davis, Tennessee Tech’s head coach. “Bottom line. She is a scorer.”
She studied film of Kobe Bryant, particularly his footwork, fade-away jumper and ability to kiss shots off the glass from the post.
During summer workouts entering her freshman year at North Cobb (Georgia) High School, she showed future varsity teammates how to be a leader. It wasn’t with words, but with swift actions, like powering her way to the hoop or dishing the ball to an open teammate.
“In high school she felt she could cross you over and get to the basket,” said John Speeney, then a North Cobb assistant. “It didn’t matter who she was playing.”
After playing three years at North Cobb, Henderson transferred to St. Francis (Georgia) High School for the final semester of her senior year. St. Francis’ head coach, Aisha Kennedy had been Henderson’s AAU coach since 10th grade.
In a playoff game, with a state tournament berth on the line, Henderson was cramping up, but didn’t sub out. During timeouts, Henderson ate mustard and drank pickle juice.
She played the entire game in the double-overtime victory.
“You just got to push through adversity,” Henderson said. “Things are going to happen, you might cramp up, you might tweak an ankle, you might jam a finger but you just have to push through it if you really want to win.”
After falling in love with Tennessee Tech and spurning major-conference programs, Henderson often drew the opposing teams’ best defender and sometimes a double team.
“She averaged 20 points a game and people look at the level,” Hillsman said. “Twenty points in Division I is 20 points.”
When she lived in Hempstead as the oldest of seven siblings, she cooked dinner for her siblings when her parents weren’t home, helped them with homework and made them go to bed on time.
Back in the same state where her career began, Henderson, 23, is the oldest player on the Syracuse roster. Her teammates have already nicknamed her “Grandma.” When someone needs guidance, they often go to Henderson.
And with one year left in college basketball, Henderson is hardly forgetting what her father taught her.
“I love contact,” Henderson said. “I don’t mind getting into the paint, gritting it out and just being more aggressive than my defender.”
The Daily Orange • Basketball Guide
Diamond in
the rough
Henderson transfers to Syracuse for 5th year, looks to spark offense in guard Sykes’ absence
By Paul SchwedelsonStaff Writer
November 13, 2014 at 1:06 am
Diamond Henderson’s mother, Crystal, stayed in the family’s silver Ford Expedition reading books with a small flashlight as Diamond played with her father, Chris, and many of her six siblings well past midnight.
The Hendersons didn’t have gym access, so on cool summer nights, the full court in Dupree Park in Woodstock, Georgia was where they played. Crystal would bring snacks and sandwiches for the kids and shout out “Hustle harder” and “Run faster” from the car until she fell asleep in the van.
“By the time they got back in the car, the smell wasn’t too good,” Crystal Henderson said. “But it was just peaceful, it was serene. It was what we did as a family.”
The family’s passion for the game bred Henderson’s, who used the family’s move from Hempstead, New York to Marietta, Georgia to round out her game and develop into a scoring threat.
Henderson was heavily recruited out of high school and again when she graduated from Tennessee Tech in May with one year left of eligibility. She transferred to Syracuse to pursue a master’s degree in instructional design and now only has class one day a week, allowing for plenty of time to work on her game in the gym.
The 5-foot-6 guard averaged 19.7 points per game at Tennessee Tech last year and could potentially fill the scoring void left by Brittney Sykes, the Orange’s leading scorer last year, who is recovering from a torn ACL.
“She’s just a complete offensive player,” SU head coach Quentin Hillsman said of Henderson. “She’s going to have a role for us that’s going to be very, very important.”
Henderson’s basketball seeds were planted in Hempstead, New York, where she grew up prior to moving to Georgia before entering sixth grade.
Chris Henderson also grew up in Hempstead and the drive-to-the-basket, street-ball style is how he learned the game. That’s what he passed down to his daughter.
Henderson and her younger brother by 18 months, Jade, would take a five-minute walk to Lincoln Park in Hempstead. There, she played with the boys.
“Everybody always wanted Diamond on their team,” Jade Henderson said. “‘Oh, I want Diamond, Diamond, Diamond.’ Everyone knew she was going to be a ball player. Everyone.”
In the parks, it was much more common to attack the hoop. Henderson saw that outside jump shots were unusual and modeled her game with strong dribbling abilities and aggressiveness in the paint, as Crystal Henderson said she would pass up open 3s.
Chris Henderson said that in New York, the objective on offense was to make your defender look “silly.” He only learned the game by playing in the parks and schoolyards.
When he taught his daughter how to play, he told her to try and humiliate her defender with her ball-handling skills. He taught her daughter how to play with street-ball competitiveness. She was determined to win and if she didn’t, she would cry.
Raising a family in Hempstead presented challenges for the family, prompting Chris Henderson to move the family from his home to Georgia.
“It wasn’t like we were pressured into this bad environment and she was scared of getting hurt or shot and killed,” Chris Henderson said, “but that area itself … I knew there was an easier way to get my kids to the right schools. They needed to be successful without any distractions.”
When the family moved, Henderson’s basketball career was at a crossroads. Her coaches no longer taught the New York playground style. Instead, they preached fundamentals.
“She would come home and get frustrated saying ‘Daddy, they told me to do X, Y and Z. I should have been doing such and such and such,’” Chris Henderson said.
“I said, ‘Hey, forget them. Do what you have to do.’”
But ultimately, Henderson bought in. She began blending the two styles together as she grew even more dangerous with the ball.
She began developing a jump shot and could beat a defender regardless of whether they were up close or sagging off.
“Diamond’s greatest quality is she can score,” said Jim Davis, Tennessee Tech’s head coach. “Bottom line. She is a scorer.”
She studied film of Kobe Bryant, particularly his footwork, fade-away jumper and ability to kiss shots off the glass from the post.
During summer workouts entering her freshman year at North Cobb (Georgia) High School, she showed future varsity teammates how to be a leader. It wasn’t with words, but with swift actions, like powering her way to the hoop or dishing the ball to an open teammate.
“In high school she felt she could cross you over and get to the basket,” said John Speeney, then a North Cobb assistant. “It didn’t matter who she was playing.”
After playing three years at North Cobb, Henderson transferred to St. Francis (Georgia) High School for the final semester of her senior year. St. Francis’ head coach, Aisha Kennedy had been Henderson’s AAU coach since 10th grade.
In a playoff game, with a state tournament berth on the line, Henderson was cramping up, but didn’t sub out. During timeouts, Henderson ate mustard and drank pickle juice.
She played the entire game in the double-overtime victory.
“You just got to push through adversity,” Henderson said. “Things are going to happen, you might cramp up, you might tweak an ankle, you might jam a finger but you just have to push through it if you really want to win.”
After falling in love with Tennessee Tech and spurning major-conference programs, Henderson often drew the opposing teams’ best defender and sometimes a double team.
“She averaged 20 points a game and people look at the level,” Hillsman said. “Twenty points in Division I is 20 points.”
When she lived in Hempstead as the oldest of seven siblings, she cooked dinner for her siblings when her parents weren’t home, helped them with homework and made them go to bed on time.
Back in the same state where her career began, Henderson, 23, is the oldest player on the Syracuse roster. Her teammates have already nicknamed her “Grandma.” When someone needs guidance, they often go to Henderson.
And with one year left in college basketball, Henderson is hardly forgetting what her father taught her.
“I love contact,” Henderson said. “I don’t mind getting into the paint, gritting it out and just being more aggressive than my defender.”
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http://dailyorange.com/2014/11/taking-note/
Taking note
Hillsman studies, learns from Boeheim while building up Syracuse women’s team following best season in program history
By Sam BlumAsst. Copy Editor
November 13, 2014 at 1:08 am
Days before Quentin Hillsman’s team would play Chattanooga in the first round of the 2014 NCAA tournament, he watched Jim Boeheim run a practice.
Hillsman’s Syracuse team had never won a tournament game. The banners draped along the walls of the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center mostly belong to the men’s program.
So snuck in between the hours of watching nearly every game Chattanooga played that season, coaching his own team and trying to get a few hours of sleep for sustenance, Hillsman stood on the ground floor of the Melo Center and watched a man whose success he’s trying to emulate.
“Sometimes the best learning tool is just watching,” Hillsman said. “And we do that all the time. I come and watch his practices to see what he does and that’s what we do.”
On the first day that Hillsman was hired to be the women’s head coach nine seasons ago, Boeheim came and told him that his door was always open. Since then, the two have become friends and Hillsman’s become a student to Boeheim’s coaching tactics.
Emma Fierberg | Staff Photographer
Quentin Hillsman has become a mentee of Jim Boeheim. Now starting his 10th season, Hillsman is coming off his first-ever NCAA tournament win and he credits Boeheim for always being a resource for him to go to.
Boeheim has 948 wins, including 53 in the NCAA tournament. Of Hillsman’s 167 career wins, his one tournament win came against Chattanooga before the Orange lost to Kentucky to end last year. And with the start of this season approaching — in which the women’s team will look to build on its best season in program history — Hillsman continues to use Boeheim as a resource for developing the same level of success.
“He looks at our defense and he watches our offense and sees what we’re doing,” Boeheim said. “… I think he uses some of our zone.”
Boeheim is famous for running the 2-3 zone almost exclusively throughout his 38-year coaching tenure, but it’s also become a staple of Hillman’s defensive tactics. Hillsman said that it’s tough to replicate the size and length that the men’s team has, but still uses Boeheim’s defense as a model.
Watching Boeheim in practice, Hillsman said, is like a “zone clinic.” He takes in everything but it’s not exactly the same across both teams. Hillsman likes to press and turn good defense into quick offense more than the men’s team typically does.
“I ask his opinion on how to guard something,” Hillsman said, “or just ask about a game that he played or had a situation that might have been a little more difficult for us. I go and ask him what would he have done.”
And whenever he has a question for Boeheim, he can walk the “75 steps” down the hall to the men’s basketball coaches’ offices and sit down with him.
Hillsman said he can bring up an in-game scenario to Boeheim and Boeheim wouldn’t have even needed to see the tape to answer it. In 38 years of coaching, it’s clear that Boeheim has seen everything, Hillsman said.
“You have a front row ticket to a living, walking legend, Jim Boeheim,” said SU guard Brittney Sykes, who was the team’s leading scorer last season. “You sit on the sidelines and you watch and you learn.”
Margaret Lin | Photo Editor
Jim Boeheim has 948 career wins compared to 167 for Quentin Hillsman. Boeheim, a 38-year veteran told Hillsman that his office door would always be open if he ever wanted to to talk basketball. Hillsman has taken him up on that offer.
Boeheim says that the respect goes both ways. He too will watch the women’s team practice and is excited by the progress the program has made. But it’s Boeheim’s advice that means the most to Hillsman.
“He’s a hall of famer, he’s got a championship,” Hillsman said, pointing to his finger that has no championship ring. “He doesn’t got to ask me nothing.”
To get to that level, though, he mimics what he sees. He watches as Boeheim exhausts every possible scenario in practice and does the same. He’ll see Boeheim use different players for different purposes and adopt that into his own repertoire.
He watches every men’s game, either in person, on television or in the Syracuse video room, and he learns.
But most importantly, he has an open door to Boeheim’s office. And Hillsman has a Syracuse brand of basketball 38 years in the making to build his own program off of in hopes of winning that first championship.
“We have a good relationship and it’s important for the men’s and women’s basketball coaches, you know, we’re right here,” Boeheim said. “It’s important for us to work together and he’s great to work with.”
Taking note
Hillsman studies, learns from Boeheim while building up Syracuse women’s team following best season in program history
By Sam BlumAsst. Copy Editor
November 13, 2014 at 1:08 am
Days before Quentin Hillsman’s team would play Chattanooga in the first round of the 2014 NCAA tournament, he watched Jim Boeheim run a practice.
Hillsman’s Syracuse team had never won a tournament game. The banners draped along the walls of the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center mostly belong to the men’s program.
So snuck in between the hours of watching nearly every game Chattanooga played that season, coaching his own team and trying to get a few hours of sleep for sustenance, Hillsman stood on the ground floor of the Melo Center and watched a man whose success he’s trying to emulate.
“Sometimes the best learning tool is just watching,” Hillsman said. “And we do that all the time. I come and watch his practices to see what he does and that’s what we do.”
On the first day that Hillsman was hired to be the women’s head coach nine seasons ago, Boeheim came and told him that his door was always open. Since then, the two have become friends and Hillsman’s become a student to Boeheim’s coaching tactics.
Emma Fierberg | Staff Photographer
Quentin Hillsman has become a mentee of Jim Boeheim. Now starting his 10th season, Hillsman is coming off his first-ever NCAA tournament win and he credits Boeheim for always being a resource for him to go to.
Boeheim has 948 wins, including 53 in the NCAA tournament. Of Hillsman’s 167 career wins, his one tournament win came against Chattanooga before the Orange lost to Kentucky to end last year. And with the start of this season approaching — in which the women’s team will look to build on its best season in program history — Hillsman continues to use Boeheim as a resource for developing the same level of success.
“He looks at our defense and he watches our offense and sees what we’re doing,” Boeheim said. “… I think he uses some of our zone.”
Boeheim is famous for running the 2-3 zone almost exclusively throughout his 38-year coaching tenure, but it’s also become a staple of Hillman’s defensive tactics. Hillsman said that it’s tough to replicate the size and length that the men’s team has, but still uses Boeheim’s defense as a model.
Watching Boeheim in practice, Hillsman said, is like a “zone clinic.” He takes in everything but it’s not exactly the same across both teams. Hillsman likes to press and turn good defense into quick offense more than the men’s team typically does.
“I ask his opinion on how to guard something,” Hillsman said, “or just ask about a game that he played or had a situation that might have been a little more difficult for us. I go and ask him what would he have done.”
And whenever he has a question for Boeheim, he can walk the “75 steps” down the hall to the men’s basketball coaches’ offices and sit down with him.
Hillsman said he can bring up an in-game scenario to Boeheim and Boeheim wouldn’t have even needed to see the tape to answer it. In 38 years of coaching, it’s clear that Boeheim has seen everything, Hillsman said.
“You have a front row ticket to a living, walking legend, Jim Boeheim,” said SU guard Brittney Sykes, who was the team’s leading scorer last season. “You sit on the sidelines and you watch and you learn.”
Margaret Lin | Photo Editor
Jim Boeheim has 948 career wins compared to 167 for Quentin Hillsman. Boeheim, a 38-year veteran told Hillsman that his office door would always be open if he ever wanted to to talk basketball. Hillsman has taken him up on that offer.
Boeheim says that the respect goes both ways. He too will watch the women’s team practice and is excited by the progress the program has made. But it’s Boeheim’s advice that means the most to Hillsman.
“He’s a hall of famer, he’s got a championship,” Hillsman said, pointing to his finger that has no championship ring. “He doesn’t got to ask me nothing.”
To get to that level, though, he mimics what he sees. He watches as Boeheim exhausts every possible scenario in practice and does the same. He’ll see Boeheim use different players for different purposes and adopt that into his own repertoire.
He watches every men’s game, either in person, on television or in the Syracuse video room, and he learns.
But most importantly, he has an open door to Boeheim’s office. And Hillsman has a Syracuse brand of basketball 38 years in the making to build his own program off of in hopes of winning that first championship.
“We have a good relationship and it’s important for the men’s and women’s basketball coaches, you know, we’re right here,” Boeheim said. “It’s important for us to work together and he’s great to work with.”
CuseLegacy
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Syracuse Athletics@Cuse 16m16 minutes ago
#CuseTV: Want an inside look at @CuseWBB? Check out Inside Scoop with Sykes! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDDCJNV-DZs&feature=youtu.be…
#CuseTV: Want an inside look at @CuseWBB? Check out Inside Scoop with Sykes! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDDCJNV-DZs&feature=youtu.be…
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Quentin Hillsman@CoachQatSU 1h1 hour ago
Season home opener vs Fordham 12pm in the Dome!!!
Season home opener vs Fordham 12pm in the Dome!!!
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6:18 AM - 16 Nov 2014
SU Women's Hoops@CuseWBB 1h1 hour ago
Today is the day! Syracuse tips off the 2014-15 season against Fordham at 12 p.m. in the Carrier Dome.
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SU Women's Hoops @CuseWBB 3m
FINAL: Syracuse takes down Fordham 59-44 in its season opener. Peterson led all scorers with 19
FINAL: Syracuse takes down Fordham 59-44 in its season opener. Peterson led all scorers with 19
CuseLegacy
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Josh Hyber@JoshHyber 42m42 minutes ago
Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman tells reporters Brittney Sykes probably won't play Wednesday at Duquesne.
Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman tells reporters Brittney Sykes probably won't play Wednesday at Duquesne.
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Syracuse Athletics@Cuse 4m4 minutes ago
Defense Leads to Season Opening Win for @CuseWBB http://bit.ly/1sZ8BxY
Defense Leads to Season Opening Win
Syracuse holds Fordham to 29-percent shooting and causes 22 turnovers in win
Behind a career-high 19 points from sophomore guard Alexis Peterson, the Syracuse women's basketball team opened its season with a 59-42 win over Fordham (0-2) on Saturday at the Carrier Dome.
With the Orange trailing by three with less than one minute remaining in the first half, Peterson hit a pair of jumpers to take a 22-21 lead into the locker room. 'Cuse maintained the momentum after the break, opening the second half on a 10-2 run fueled by the defensive efforts of Peterson and teammate Cornelia Fonden, who finished with a team-high three assists and two steals to go with eight points of her own.
Links: Highlights | Coach Hillsman Press Conference | Student-Athletes Press Conference
Syracuse pulled away from there as Fordham would never cut the lead to less than five the rest of the way.
"It was all about getting our pressure set," said head coach Quentin Hillsman. "It's tough to get your pressure set when you're not making shots. We didn't make shots in the first half so we couldn't get into our press. That really hurt us. That's a big part of what we do is setting our pressure up and then you've got to turn people over.
"Overall I thought Fordham played a tremendous game. They're a good basketball team, Stephanie does a very good job of recruiting players and they always have great talent. They played a great game, I give them a lot of credit. I just thought the second half we really got our pace and got our tempo going, we got up and down the floor, we got some easier shots. When you get shots you can get your defense set and get your press set. Overall just really happy with the win and not that it was clean enough, we were four for twenty from the three-point line, ten for twenty-two from the foul line, we really need a ton of points on the board there so we've got to take some opportunities and make some plays."
Syracuse outscored the Rams 37-21 in the second half, with 11 of those points coming off Fordham turnovers. 'Cuse forced 22 turnovers in the game.
The Orange opened things up with Taylor Ford knocking down the first points of the season for Syracuse in the form of a three. Ford finished with 11 points and went 3-of-6 from behind the arc.
Both teams struggled from the floor in the first half, with Syracuse shooting 33-percent and Fordham at 29-percent and each team making 12 turnovers.
The Orange rebounded to shoot 46-percent for the second half, but with the increased defensive pressure, SU kept the Rams 29-percent for the game.
In addition to the strong pressure from the guards, the Syracuse front court held strong around the rim, with Bria Day swatting a career-high three shots. Amber Witherspoon and Brianna Day each added a block as well.
'Cuse also showcased its depth, with 11 players seeing the floor, nine of which played more than 10 minutes, and eight different players finding the scoring column. In addition to Ford's 11, the Orange also got seven bench points from Diamond Henderson.
The Orange will now hit the road to start a four-game stretch away from the Carrier Dome at Duquesne on Wednesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Defense Leads to Season Opening Win for @CuseWBB http://bit.ly/1sZ8BxY
Defense Leads to Season Opening Win
Syracuse holds Fordham to 29-percent shooting and causes 22 turnovers in win
Behind a career-high 19 points from sophomore guard Alexis Peterson, the Syracuse women's basketball team opened its season with a 59-42 win over Fordham (0-2) on Saturday at the Carrier Dome.
With the Orange trailing by three with less than one minute remaining in the first half, Peterson hit a pair of jumpers to take a 22-21 lead into the locker room. 'Cuse maintained the momentum after the break, opening the second half on a 10-2 run fueled by the defensive efforts of Peterson and teammate Cornelia Fonden, who finished with a team-high three assists and two steals to go with eight points of her own.
Links: Highlights | Coach Hillsman Press Conference | Student-Athletes Press Conference
Syracuse pulled away from there as Fordham would never cut the lead to less than five the rest of the way.
"It was all about getting our pressure set," said head coach Quentin Hillsman. "It's tough to get your pressure set when you're not making shots. We didn't make shots in the first half so we couldn't get into our press. That really hurt us. That's a big part of what we do is setting our pressure up and then you've got to turn people over.
"Overall I thought Fordham played a tremendous game. They're a good basketball team, Stephanie does a very good job of recruiting players and they always have great talent. They played a great game, I give them a lot of credit. I just thought the second half we really got our pace and got our tempo going, we got up and down the floor, we got some easier shots. When you get shots you can get your defense set and get your press set. Overall just really happy with the win and not that it was clean enough, we were four for twenty from the three-point line, ten for twenty-two from the foul line, we really need a ton of points on the board there so we've got to take some opportunities and make some plays."
Syracuse outscored the Rams 37-21 in the second half, with 11 of those points coming off Fordham turnovers. 'Cuse forced 22 turnovers in the game.
The Orange opened things up with Taylor Ford knocking down the first points of the season for Syracuse in the form of a three. Ford finished with 11 points and went 3-of-6 from behind the arc.
Both teams struggled from the floor in the first half, with Syracuse shooting 33-percent and Fordham at 29-percent and each team making 12 turnovers.
The Orange rebounded to shoot 46-percent for the second half, but with the increased defensive pressure, SU kept the Rams 29-percent for the game.
In addition to the strong pressure from the guards, the Syracuse front court held strong around the rim, with Bria Day swatting a career-high three shots. Amber Witherspoon and Brianna Day each added a block as well.
'Cuse also showcased its depth, with 11 players seeing the floor, nine of which played more than 10 minutes, and eight different players finding the scoring column. In addition to Ford's 11, the Orange also got seven bench points from Diamond Henderson.
The Orange will now hit the road to start a four-game stretch away from the Carrier Dome at Duquesne on Wednesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Last edited:
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Josh Hyber@JoshHyber 1h1 hour ago
Brianna Butler bruised her left knee earlier this week, but chose to play in today's win anyway: http://dailyorange.com/2014/11/brianna-butler-struggles-in-59-42-win-over-fordham-after-hurting-knee-in-practice/…
Butler struggles in 59-42 win over Fordham after hurting left knee in practice
By Josh HyberStaff Writer
3 hours ago
With six minutes gone in the second half and Syracuse leading by seven, head coach Quentin Hillsman called a designed play to create open space for Brianna Butler behind the 3-point line.
“Cowboy basic out,” Hillsman yelled.
Butler ran off a screen, caught a pass on the left wing and hoisted her third missed 3 of the game.
It was an all-around rough afternoon for Butler, who played with a bruised left knee she suffered in practice this past week. The junior guard shot just 2-of-9 and finished with five points and three rebounds in the No. 24 Orange’s (1-0) 59-42 victory over Fordham (0-2) in the Carrier Dome on Sunday. With Brittney Sykes, Syracuse’s leading-scorer from last season, sidelined with a torn ACL, Fordham zoned in on SU’s second-leading scorer from last season, Butler.
“To be quite honest, Brianna probably shouldn’t have played today,” Hillsman said. “You could visibly see she wasn’t herself today. I thought it was a gutsy, gutsy thing for her to play. She had an option not to play, and she chose to play.
“ … I thought that was one of the best five-point performances I’ve seen in a long time.”
Butler said her play wasn’t limited by the injury. She shot 0-for-4 from 3 and missed three jumpers in 28 minutes. The junior was effective on the defensive end – logging three rebounds and two steals – and on drives to the basket. Her first points came on a drive through the left side of the lane to give the Orange a 9-2 lead five minutes into the first half.
The junior’s only other made field goal came on a mirror image replay of her earlier layup. With 2:54 left in the first half, a Butler lay-in cut the Fordham lead to 18-16.
“I just saw that there were openings,” said Butler, who walked into the postgame news conference with a large pack of ice taped around her left knee. “They were really pressuring me outside the 3-point line, so I saw a lot of openings to get inside the paint.”
But the small forward began the second half with three missed 3s and didn’t attempt a shot for a 10-minute span from 13:16 to 3:37 left in the game. Fordham forward G’mrice Davis fouled Butler with 3:37 to play and Butler extended the Syracuse lead to 19 with her first free throw.
But on a day in which the Orange pulled away late for a comfortable win, one of its go-to scorers wasn’t at full strength.
“In practice we go hard every day, and with that, you’re going to get bumps and bruises,” Butler said. “ … I just tried to come out and do what I usually do and not focus on my knee.”
Brianna Butler bruised her left knee earlier this week, but chose to play in today's win anyway: http://dailyorange.com/2014/11/brianna-butler-struggles-in-59-42-win-over-fordham-after-hurting-knee-in-practice/…
Butler struggles in 59-42 win over Fordham after hurting left knee in practice
By Josh HyberStaff Writer
3 hours ago
With six minutes gone in the second half and Syracuse leading by seven, head coach Quentin Hillsman called a designed play to create open space for Brianna Butler behind the 3-point line.
“Cowboy basic out,” Hillsman yelled.
Butler ran off a screen, caught a pass on the left wing and hoisted her third missed 3 of the game.
It was an all-around rough afternoon for Butler, who played with a bruised left knee she suffered in practice this past week. The junior guard shot just 2-of-9 and finished with five points and three rebounds in the No. 24 Orange’s (1-0) 59-42 victory over Fordham (0-2) in the Carrier Dome on Sunday. With Brittney Sykes, Syracuse’s leading-scorer from last season, sidelined with a torn ACL, Fordham zoned in on SU’s second-leading scorer from last season, Butler.
“To be quite honest, Brianna probably shouldn’t have played today,” Hillsman said. “You could visibly see she wasn’t herself today. I thought it was a gutsy, gutsy thing for her to play. She had an option not to play, and she chose to play.
“ … I thought that was one of the best five-point performances I’ve seen in a long time.”
Butler said her play wasn’t limited by the injury. She shot 0-for-4 from 3 and missed three jumpers in 28 minutes. The junior was effective on the defensive end – logging three rebounds and two steals – and on drives to the basket. Her first points came on a drive through the left side of the lane to give the Orange a 9-2 lead five minutes into the first half.
The junior’s only other made field goal came on a mirror image replay of her earlier layup. With 2:54 left in the first half, a Butler lay-in cut the Fordham lead to 18-16.
“I just saw that there were openings,” said Butler, who walked into the postgame news conference with a large pack of ice taped around her left knee. “They were really pressuring me outside the 3-point line, so I saw a lot of openings to get inside the paint.”
But the small forward began the second half with three missed 3s and didn’t attempt a shot for a 10-minute span from 13:16 to 3:37 left in the game. Fordham forward G’mrice Davis fouled Butler with 3:37 to play and Butler extended the Syracuse lead to 19 with her first free throw.
But on a day in which the Orange pulled away late for a comfortable win, one of its go-to scorers wasn’t at full strength.
“In practice we go hard every day, and with that, you’re going to get bumps and bruises,” Butler said. “ … I just tried to come out and do what I usually do and not focus on my knee.”
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http://dailyorange.com/2014/11/bria...-over-fordham-after-hurting-knee-in-practice/
Hillsman uses deep bench, substitutes frequently in Syracuse’s 59-42 win over Fordham
By Josh HyberStaff Writer
2 hours ago
Every time Quentin Hillsman turned toward Syracuse’s bench and readjusted his gold and black rimmed glasses in frustration, it was almost a given the Orange head coach would make a substitution.
When Cornelia Fondren committed a turnover, in came Alexis Peterson. Taylor Ford threw a poor pass out of bounds, and in came Isabella Slim.
On Sunday at the Carrier Dome in the No. 24 Orange’s (1-0) season-opening 59-42 victory over Fordham (0-2), SU used a fluid rotation of 11 players, with nine playing more than 10 minutes. At times, some players didn’t play more than a minute or two at once.
“We handled it well,” said Fondren, who re-entered the starting lineup Sunday after starting 31-of-32 games her freshman season and not starting any of the 30 games she played last season. “Everybody came in and did what they were supposed to do. We adjusted very well.”
Syracuse’s first seven points were scored by reserves Ford and Bria Day. Ford, who checked in for Slim just a minute and 21 seconds into the game, connected on a 3 from the left wing and added two free throws to give the Orange an early 5-2 lead. Day, who checked in for sister Briana at the 17:48 mark, made a layup to extend SU’s lead to 7-2.
Syracuse subbed 31 times in the first half. With Ford and Briana Day both picking up two quick fouls, Fondren played a wing position in the back of Syracuse’s 2-3 zone, much like she did at times last season.
After committing a turnover at the 11:20 mark of the first half, Fondren was replaced by freshman point guard Daniele Minott. But exactly one minute later, Hillsman called for Minott to sub out, prompting Fondren to start jogging toward the scorer’s table. But Hillsman tapped guard Maggie Morrison to enter the game.
Just 29 seconds later, Fondren did come in to replace Alexis Peterson.
With eight minutes to go in the half and the score tied at 10, the Bulls ran a full-court press and forced Fondren into her second turnover of the game. Hillsman let off a sheepish smile, and yelled for “Petey” to re-enter. Moments after checking in, the sophomore hit a pull-up jumper to give the Orange a 12-10 lead.
After the game, Fondren said she doesn’t mind Hillsman’s quick substitutions.
“I know somebody else is going to come in a do better,” she said.
SU subbed 16 times in the second half as the Orange continued to extend its lead.
Four players –Morrison, Diamond Henderson, Amber Witherspoon and Minott – made their SU debuts off the bench. Henderson, a transfer from Tennessee Tech, finished with seven points in 11 minutes.
Said Hillsman of his team’s use of the quick rotation: “It was a little sloppy in the first half, but I thought they did a good job.”
Hillsman uses deep bench, substitutes frequently in Syracuse’s 59-42 win over Fordham
By Josh HyberStaff Writer
2 hours ago
Every time Quentin Hillsman turned toward Syracuse’s bench and readjusted his gold and black rimmed glasses in frustration, it was almost a given the Orange head coach would make a substitution.
When Cornelia Fondren committed a turnover, in came Alexis Peterson. Taylor Ford threw a poor pass out of bounds, and in came Isabella Slim.
On Sunday at the Carrier Dome in the No. 24 Orange’s (1-0) season-opening 59-42 victory over Fordham (0-2), SU used a fluid rotation of 11 players, with nine playing more than 10 minutes. At times, some players didn’t play more than a minute or two at once.
“We handled it well,” said Fondren, who re-entered the starting lineup Sunday after starting 31-of-32 games her freshman season and not starting any of the 30 games she played last season. “Everybody came in and did what they were supposed to do. We adjusted very well.”
Syracuse’s first seven points were scored by reserves Ford and Bria Day. Ford, who checked in for Slim just a minute and 21 seconds into the game, connected on a 3 from the left wing and added two free throws to give the Orange an early 5-2 lead. Day, who checked in for sister Briana at the 17:48 mark, made a layup to extend SU’s lead to 7-2.
Syracuse subbed 31 times in the first half. With Ford and Briana Day both picking up two quick fouls, Fondren played a wing position in the back of Syracuse’s 2-3 zone, much like she did at times last season.
After committing a turnover at the 11:20 mark of the first half, Fondren was replaced by freshman point guard Daniele Minott. But exactly one minute later, Hillsman called for Minott to sub out, prompting Fondren to start jogging toward the scorer’s table. But Hillsman tapped guard Maggie Morrison to enter the game.
Just 29 seconds later, Fondren did come in to replace Alexis Peterson.
With eight minutes to go in the half and the score tied at 10, the Bulls ran a full-court press and forced Fondren into her second turnover of the game. Hillsman let off a sheepish smile, and yelled for “Petey” to re-enter. Moments after checking in, the sophomore hit a pull-up jumper to give the Orange a 12-10 lead.
After the game, Fondren said she doesn’t mind Hillsman’s quick substitutions.
“I know somebody else is going to come in a do better,” she said.
SU subbed 16 times in the second half as the Orange continued to extend its lead.
Four players –Morrison, Diamond Henderson, Amber Witherspoon and Minott – made their SU debuts off the bench. Henderson, a transfer from Tennessee Tech, finished with seven points in 11 minutes.
Said Hillsman of his team’s use of the quick rotation: “It was a little sloppy in the first half, but I thought they did a good job.”
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