Felisha Legette-Jack defends SU colleagues from criticism after Louisville loss
Following SU’s loss to No. 6 Louisville, head coach Felisha Legette-Jack defended Syracuse from criticism. Zoe Xixis | Asst. Photo Editor
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Following Syracuse’s loss to No. 6 Louisville Sunday, SU women’s basketball head coach Felisha Legette-Jack defended her colleagues who’ve received criticism, encouraging the SU community to be more positive toward their teams.
“I just don’t remember when negativity won the war,” Legette-Jack said.
While Legette-Jack didn’t specify which colleagues her remarks were catered toward, they’d most likely fit the narrative around men’s basketball coach Adrian Autry. The Orange head coach has dealt with immense criticism in a make-or-break third season. Autry’s seat is among the hottest in college basketball, and his future’s in question with each passing game.
For Legette-Jack, the criticism against Autry has become excessive. He’s been booed off his home court and even asked by fans who his replacement will be.
“Can you try, Syracuse? Can we try to be a little bit more positive with the sport that’s struggling?” Legette-Jack said.
After the women’s team fell to No. 6 Louisville Sunday, Legette-Jack was asked what her team needed to do to get on the level of a program like Louisville, which has made the NCAA Tournament every year since 2011. Legette-Jack said name, image and likeness money was a part of it. But she also needs support in a more general sense.
“To be honest, it’s money, but it’s also the way people respect what they have,” she said.
That thought launched her into a tangent about the criticism faced by some of her colleagues. Legette-Jack said that, in order for Syracuse to truly compete like one of the best teams in the country, it needs a community that constantly uplifts it.
She compared it to her time at Buffalo, where she spent 10 seasons building the Bulls from the ground up.
“Everybody believed in the build and everybody supported,” she said. “I think that’s what we gotta get first. If we don’t get a nickel, we got to get people to buy into the fact that this is Syracuse University. This is a global school.”
Legette-Jack said she understands the expectation on the Syracuse basketball program. She lived it as a player in the 1980s.
“I was here when we were challenging in the biggest championships, but I’ve just never seen it get so negative here,” Legette-Jack said. ”What happened? We gotta stop that part first.”
“Yeah, people are having bad years. We got it … But can you lift the person up, too?”
Legette-Jack made an analogy that, previously, everyone around the program — even the custodians — would encourage players and coaches to keep building. She joked that, now, even the custodians are asking for answers.
The thing that seemingly fired her up most, though, was the response she’s seen on social media. Legette-Jack understands why fans are frustrated, but said the whole community is sharing a common goal — they just want to win.
“The first 47 times you sent something out in a tweet, we saw that frustration. And we get it. We get it,” she said. “One thing I can tell you about my colleagues … they really want to help us be successful. But you tweeting out negative stuff — what is that gonna do?
“We gotta press send with positivity.”
Legette-Jack hasn’t necessarily felt that same heat herself this season. She’s helming a team that’s enjoyed far more success than Autry’s men’s squad.
The women are 19-5 overall and — if nothing goes terribly wrong in their final five games — will likely be dancing in March. It’s a profound turnaround from SU’s 12-18 campaign last season.
The men, meanwhile, are 13-11 and would likely need a miracle Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament run to make March Madness. If not, the Orange will miss it for the fifth time in a row, their longest drought since missing six straight from 1967-72.
Legette-Jack understands the frustration. But, she said, if her squad wants sustained success, she’s going to need more than just money. And she’s calling on Syracuse to provide the positive foundation behind both basketball programs.
“I might get cursed out, yelled at by people … but I just don’t think negativity wins,” she said.
