WBB : No pressure
Quentin Hillsman called a timeout, a furious stare focused on the player he calls ‘J.’
The player, JUCO transfer Juanita Ward, hadn’t started her Syracuse women’s basketball career as most had expected. The 6-foot-2 forward looked lost in the first half of the Orange’s season opener against Siena Nov. 14.
Ward finished the half 2-for-6 from the field with two rebounds – hardly the performance expected from a former McDonald’s All-American. After a defensive blunder by Ward in the second half, Hillsman had seen enough.
When they met, it began. Hillsman and Ward, lined up toe-to-toe. ‘What are you doing?’ Hillsman screamed. He walked away for a brief second, but quickly got back in her face, letting Ward know how she was doing things she couldn’t do to be successful at the Division I level.
No other player on Syracuse received the same tirade Ward did. Hillsman’s reasoning was simple. He had too high expectations to watch Ward struggle like she did against the Saints. He expects more from Ward, the versatile offensive threat he has coveted for three years. He made that clear at Syracuse’s basketball media day.
‘When you look at Juanita Ward, I’m not afraid to say this,’ Hillsman said then. ‘She is the best player I’ve ever coached, the most talented player I’ve ever coached.’
***
She speaks quietly, answering each question politely. Following Syracuse’s eventual victory against Siena, Ward fields questions, but wont discuss one topic – her performance.
Her day? It’s not about her. It’s about the team contributing and getting the win.
What did she learn? Was it tough to gel as a team? The questions could go on, but the answers would be about the team.
But don’t be fooled. She wants the ball with the game on the line like the stars do. She’s had plenty of big-game experience, teaming with current SU guard Chandrea Jones to win a JUCO national championship in 2006-07 with Odessa College (Texas).
‘I would say she was the go-to-player, at least that was how she was at Odessa,’ said Colorado senior forward Dina Piterniece, a teammate of Ward’s at Odessa. ‘She really liked to have the ball and got to basket and make plays. She was just really confident and a strong player.’
Nate Altenhofen had a glimpse into that talent. As a coach for the Adidas All-American game, Altenhofen coached Ward and knew she was oozing with talent.
So when Ward transferred from Gulf Coast College (Fla.) to Altenhofen’s Odessa College (Texas) for the 2006-07 season, he made sure to get her ready for Division I basketball.
Ward said the biggest thing for her was making sure she became ‘mentally tough’ to compete on the court. To stay clam in the face of adversity, to stay poised when the shots won’t fall.
Altenhofen said they worked on aggressive play and being physical enough to compete with the demands of playing for a major conference.
Ward repaid Altenhofen’s attention. She averaged 15.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game at Odessa, helping lead the Lady Wranglers to a 32-2 season and a national title.
Altenhofen would leave for St. Ambrose (Iowa) after the season. Ward took a year off, trying desperately to achieve the credits to get into Syracuse. A year later, she joined the Orange.
‘I think of it kind of like a win-win situation,’ Altenhofen said. ‘We had quite a bit of success the year before, but there was a common ground of wanting to win a national championship and I think most importantly, developing the skills to move onto the next level.’
***
If Hillsman was the general manager of Syracuse, than Ward was the prolific free agent he craved. The player he had to have.Since watching her play at Callaway High School (Miss.) in his days as the assistant coach at Alabama, Hillsman wanted Ward – and he finally got her this season.
But being a prized jewel brings heavy expectations. Hillsman is grandiose in most of his plans (he stated at media day his goal this season is a national championship) and what he expects from Ward is no different.
‘She’s going to be a major piece to our puzzle, and it’s going be fun to have a player of her caliber,’ Hillsman said. ‘Expectations are easily handled when you’re good enough. If she wasn’t good enough, you’d have to think about it differently, but I think she is good enough, and quite frankly I stand firmly by it, she’s the most talented player I’ve ever coached.’
So what makes Ward such a good player? Altenhofen said it’s the mismatches. Standing at 6-foot-2, she can post up for a basket or go to the rim and get the shot off. This produces problems for a forward guarding her, because she can hit the outside shot as well. Altenhofen also said Ward has a great first step, calling her one of the top five offensive players he’s ever coached.
But more often that not, Ward goes to the basket, and it’s hard for defenders to stop her. Against Siena and Portland State earlier this season, Ward used her skill and size to get to the basket for easy lay-ups. Other times, she pulled up for a short jumper. Defenders couldn’t figure her out. She’s averaging 11.4 points per game so far this year, third best on the team.
‘She just does so many things, and she can score from so many spots on the floor,’ Hillsman said. ‘She’s very athletic. She has a great feel for the game. I think once her knowledge of the game picks up with her feel for the game she’s going to be tough to deal with it.’
Perhaps her biggest strength is the dirty work: Rebounding. Ward second on the team, averaging 10.5 boards per game.With her size and speed, Ward can often get in front of opponents and position herself for missed shots. She had her best rebounding game against Maryland-Eastern Shore, notching 15 boards in 25 minutes.
‘Definitely rebounding, being more physical, she’s a very strong player,’ junior forward Nicole Michael said when asked what Ward brings to the team. ‘I mean, she grabs rebounds. She’s one of the players that grabs a lot of rebounds and is a go-to player.’
The rebounding and ability to score were reasons schools such as North Carolina, Duke, Connecticut and Tennessee wanted Ward in their posts.
But she’s not there. She’s at Syracuse, helping the Orange to a 6-2 start as it searches for its first-ever repeat trip to the NCAA Tournament.
‘She’s one of the most talented offensive kids I’ve been around, and I’ve been around a few good ones,’ Altenhofen said. ‘I think everyone knows she’s good, but I think there’s potential she can be even better than people realize.’
***
After the verbal abuse, Ward is a different player against Siena. She looks more comfortable. The rebounds come. The shots start to fall. She even adds some steals.
Ward’s final line: 8 points, 14 rebounds, four steals and an assist. Not bad for an opening night that seemed destined to be a clunker for the first 24 minutes.
‘It kind of sparked me a little bit,’ Ward said with a smile of her ‘talk’ with Hillsman. ‘Right along with my teammates, (he was) just telling me I need to box out and get in front of the player.’
But Ward will need more than 8-point performances to fulfill the hopes Hillsman has for her. The expectations are sky high, but the skill is there.
It’s up to Ward. She can embrace the challenge of playing as the best player Hillsman has ever coached, or she can shy away from the challenge. She hasn’t shied away from Hillsman’s claim so far.
‘Anyone can live up to expectations,’ Ward said. ‘It’s all in the trust of what coach believes in his players. Everybody on our team is capable of doing a lot of things. It’s basically trust in him believing in me and everybody else on the team.’
