WBB : Orange’s depth allows Hillsman to play different styles
It has only been six days since the season started, and Quentin Hillsman already has a problem on his hands. But it isn’t with his team’s performance on the court. It occurs on the coach’s own sidelines.
Glancing down his bench during each game, Hillsman sees a basketball team oozing with talent and potential. So come substitution time, he knows he can take pleasure in having numerous options at his disposal.
Except that is essentially the root of the issue. Hillsman has a plethora of talent in his nine-person rotation, and budgeting the right amount of minutes for each player hasn’t been easy.Hillsman can’t complain about the situation.
‘We have a great luxury,’ Hillsman said. ‘We have a lot of different people that can play a lot of different positions. So we are very, very excited about that. When you have those kinda options, it makes your substitutions patterns a little bit easier. It makes a lot of things easier.’
Hillsman will deal with the dilemma again tonight, when the Orange travels to Columbus, Ohio, to play against No. 17 Ohio State at 7 p.m.
At one moment, Hillsman can bring in No. 1 JUCO prospect Juanita Ward off the bench to rebound and bolster the team’s zone defense. The next, he can substitute All-CNY Player of the Year, freshman Tyler Ash, to alter the pace of the game. And when Hillsman is in need of critical buckets down the stretch, he can also insert freshman forward Troya Berry into the mix.
The increased attention on the bench players has also had consequences on the starters’ minutes. Junior forward Nicole Michael, who averaged 25.9 minutes a game last season, has been splitting time with Ward this season and has seen her minutes dwindle to 20.5 through two games.
But the reduced minutes haven’t dented Michael’s ego. She has accepted the change in Hillsman’s philosophy.
‘It doesn’t affect any of us,’ Michael said. ‘We know our roles on the team, and we know what we have to do in order for us to win. It’s a point of us winning now. We don’t really complain about minutes, we just want to come out with a win. Whatever it takes.’
There are multiple dynamics that factor into Hillsman’s decision-making process. The size of the opposing team’s lineup, the score of the game, and a player’s knowledge of the system are the primary determinants of how he allocates minutes.
Ultimately, the team has adopted an altruistic outlook, because winning is on the forefront of the players’ minds. That alleviates much of Hillsman’s burden.
‘It’s only a balance if you have selfish players,’ Hillsman said. ‘Our players are very unselfish, and we all want to win. We don’t do the minutes thing like, ‘Oh she only played six minutes, we need to get her back in the game.’ We play our eight- to nine-player rotation double figure minutes, and that kind of takes care of itself.’
Looking for respect
Syracuse’s road game against No. 17 Ohio State should provide an early assessment of the Orange and its chances of earning a national ranking. Despite winning its first two games, the Orange saw a decrease in votes during the last week.
Most SU players didn’t seem phased by the Buckeyes.
‘I think every game is a big game,’ sophomore guard Marisa Gobuty said. ‘You know, our goal is to win every game. So this game is just as big as last game and the next game will be.’
But Hillsman doesn’t share the same sentiment. He acknowledged the upcoming matchup has several implications that could potentially affect his team’s NCAA tournament prospects down the road.
‘Of course it’s a huge game,’ Hillsman said. ‘National recognition comes with the wins, so we do have to beat good teams like Ohio State. Our goal is to be a perennial Top 25 team, and to be that you have to beat a Top 25 team.’
The future is now
On national signing day last Wednesday, Hillsman received three letters of intent for the class of 2009 from Carmen Tyson-Thomas, Kayla Alexander and Alicia Hall.
Tyson-Thomas is considered the prize of the group. The 5-foot-10 guard averaged 19.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists as a senior for Conwell-Egan (Pa.) High School.Alexander, a 6-foot-4 forward, enjoyed a stint with the Canadian junior national team, while Hall is a 5-foot-9 guard from J.F. Kennedy (Md.) High School.
‘(Tyson-Thomas) is a very explosive guard,’ Hillsman said. ‘She’s a very good scorer, and she’s ranked top 35 in the country. (Alexander) is just a big, physical presence inside and played on the Canadian national team, so she has big game experience. And all I can tell you about (Hall) is she is the most fierce competitor that I’ve seen in a long time.’
