Basketball Guide 2018 by The Daily Orange

RUN IT

t h e i n de p e n de n t s t u de n t n e w s pa p e r of s y r ac u s e , n e w yor k

BACK

BASKETBALL GUIDE 2018

SPONSORED BY

2 BASKETBALL GUIDE 2018

dailyorange.com

about t h e i n de p e n de n t s t u de n t n e w s pa p e r of s y r a c u s e , n e w yor k

The Daily Orange is an independent newspaper published in Syracuse, New York. The editorial content of the paper — which originated in 1903 and went independent in 1971 — and its online platforms are entirely run by Syracuse University students. The D.O.’s coverage of the greater SU area is disseminated through 87 issues during the 2018-19 academic year with a circulation of 6,000 copies, a readership of 30,000 and online circulation of about 500,000 during publishing months. The paper is published Monday, Wednesday and Thursday when SU classes are in session, with special sections before home football games and select basketball games, and in the cases of notable and newsworthy occasions. The D.O.’s online coverage is 24/7, including while SU is on break. To help support The D.O.’s independent journalism, please visit dailyorange.com/donate. Editor@dailyorange.com News@dailyorange.com Opinion@dailyorange.com Pulp@dailyorange.com Sports@dailyorange.com Digital@dailyorange.com Design@dailyorange.com ADVERTISING 315-443-9794 BUSINESS 315-443-2315 EDITORIAL 315-443-9798 GENERAL FAX 315-443-3689

how to join us If you are a Syracuse University or State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry student interested in contributing to The D.O. on either its advertising or editorial teams, please email info@dailyorange.com.

Sam Ogozalek Ali Harford MANAGING EDITOR

Josh Schafer Bridget Slomian Molly Gibbs Sandhya Iyer Andy Mendes Rori Sachs Billy Heyen Michael McCleary Talia Trackim KJ Edelman Kaci Wasilewski Maeve Rule Eric Black Mike Dooling Tim Bennett Zack Vlahandreas Amanda Boyd Allyson Toolan Sabrina Koenig Sarah Grinnell Mike Ceribelli Alex Douglas

Sports Editor Presentation Director Photo Editor Copy Chief Digital Editor Video Editor Asst. Sports Editor Asst. Sports Editor Senior Design Editor Asst. Copy Editor Asst. Copy Editor Social Media Director Asst. Digital Editor General Manager Business Assistant Advertising Manager Advertising Representative Advertising Representative Advertising Representative Advertising Representative Advertising Representative Advertising Representative Advertising Representative Advertising Representative Social Media Manager Special Events Coordinator

Victoria Tramontana Divya Yeleswarapu

Meredith Lewis Anna Army

letter to the editor policy The D.O. prides itself as an outlet for community discussion. To learn more about our submission guidelines, please email opinion@dailyorange. com with your full name and affiliation within the Syracuse community. Please note letters should not include any personal information pertaining to other people unless it is relevant to the topic at hand. All letters will be edited for style and grammar.

Both Syracuse men’s and women’s basketball teams return all five starters from a season ago — so our 2018 basketball preview introduces you to the stories of less familiar faces that could fortify each team’s season. Molded on the street courts of New York City, Jalen Carey and Emily Engstler enter their freshman seasons. Digna Strautmane and Elijah Hughes return revitalized after overcoming obstacles. Buddy Boeheim, the son of the 43-year head coach, and a trio of french players came to SU with established connections. Below, we detail a list of parents who have coached their children, as Jim will do with Buddy this season. The final piece to get ready for tipoff is a breakdown of the season, detailed on our podcast. And stay in the know with our year-long coverage. Thanks for reading, Josh Schafer, sports editor

COVER PHOTO BY JOSH SHUB-SELTZER

corrections policy The D.O. strives to be as accurate in our reporting as possible. Please email editor@dailyorange.com to report a correction.

Dear readers,

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The Daily Orange is published weekdays during the Syracuse University academic year by The Daily Orange Corp., 744 Ostrom Ave., Syracuse, NY 13210. All contents Copyright 2018 by The Daily Orange Corp. and may not be reprinted without the expressed written permission of the editor in chief. The Daily Orange is distributed on and around campus with the first two copies complimentary. Each additional copy costs $1. The Daily Orange is in no way a subsidy or associated with Syracuse University. All contents © 2018 The Daily Orange Corporation

The Daily Orange Alumni Association Daily Orange Deals

Pascale's Liquor Square (315) 445-0445

LOCATED ON ERIE BLVD

ALCOHOL DELIVERY

SALES & SERVICE CO.

Delivery Hours:

Mon-Sat: 11AM-7PM

Delivers to University area!

Sunday: 1PM-4PM

DOWNLOAD THE FREE DRIZLY APP

Proudly Cheering for the ORANGE for over 30 years! Serving students and staff for over 30 years! Quality Tires and Services

www.Big4Tire.com

300 East First Street E. Syracuse, NY 13057 (315) 432 - 4444 Fax (315) 434 - 9555

149 Midler Park Drive Syracuse, NY 13206 (315) 473 - 0329

BASKETBALL GUIDE 2018 3

dailyorange.com

Homegrown A close relationship with his father and the streets of Harlem propelled Jalen Carey to Syracuse

4 BASKETBALL GUIDE 2018

dailyorange.com

Official healthcare provider of Syracuse AthleticsÂŽ

BASKETBALL GUIDE 2018 5

dailyorange.com

By Matthew Gutierrez senior staff writer

EW YORK — John Carey didn’t have an umbrella. He was standing in the pouring rain, in the middle of a New York City housing project one day in July, and his shorts were soaked. His white T-shirt was drenched. He wiped away the rain droplets from his forehead, but he didn’t seek shelter. He never did. There were rainy days when he and his only child, Jalen, would have liked to stop running, dribbling and shooting. Yet the idea was to remain outside, unfazed. One of the three courts on which Jalen developed his game was lopsided. He spent enough time there to know the lights turned on at 7:30 p.m., and one has been broken for years. It had been an intentionally difficult childhood for Jalen: There were mornings he wanted more sleep. There were cold days when it snowed, but Jalen and his father shoveled the court to shoot before school anyway. There were nights after training when Jalen wanted to take the elevator to his father’s 13th-floor apartment. Instead, he forced himself to trudge up the stairs, solely to challenge himself. Jalen Carey and his dad don’t dwell on how many hours they spent at the three basketball courts in the middle of the King Towers in Harlem. The foundation for his son’s success was laid right here, on rainy days like this one. “We already wet,” he said, and he kept walking around the Harlem courts to prove his point. This is the life Jalen chose to live, against his own best interests. The lifestyle molded him. The courts evolved into a home — a place where young Jalen had fewer distractions, a clearer focus and could dream bolder. It turned him from a little kid who could barely reach the 10-foot baskets to one of the best players in the area, then to an ESPN top 40 recruit, Syracuse target and, in time, the future of the No. 16 Orange backcourt. Syracuse 43-year head coach Jim Boeheim described Jalen as one of the best offensive guards he’s had in 20 years, citing his quickness, anticipation and feel for the game. Assistant coach Gerry McNamara has been “blown away” with Jalen’s development in the pick-and-roll game. Fellow assistant Allen Griffin called Jalen, a 6-foot-3 combo guard, “one of the fastest guards, foul line to foul line, in the country.” As Jalen embarks on his career at SU, he remembers Harlem. It’s the area that provided him little and, at times, handcuffed him. It’s the area that challenged him and forced him to grow out of discomfort. It’s why he’s here. “I carry my neighborhood with me wherever I go,” Jalen said. “The city built me. Everything is earned where I’m from. There’s no easy way, nothing given.”

alen and John were always on “The Block,” a term around the Syracuse program that references Jalen’s neighborhood. His father said that they lived across the street from Jalen’s mother, Tawana Alston, and a few blocks from the wife of the late Pearl Washington. Jalen continues a line of Syracuse stars from New York City. Most notable: associate head coach Adrian Autry, whose game was born on the same courts as Jalen. He grew up just two buildings away during the 1980s. He authored his dreams the old-fashioned way: practice. To create proper form in his son’s shot, John made him shoot exclusively on 10-foot hoops, no mini baskets. At 5 or 6, Jalen shot dozens of airballs to start workouts, since he couldn’t reach the basket. John let him use a smaller ball from right beneath the rim. When shots scraped the rim, John encouraged Jalen to aim higher. On most mornings, he and his father walked to the bottom of their apartment building, stepped outside, took a few dribbles, and found themselves on a basketball court. Other fathers took their sons to the gym, John said, but he wanted Jalen to develop toughness outside. Together, Jalen and John worked on his shot, changing the shape of his form to increase its consistency. They developed his footwork, which expanded his agility, court vision and allowed him to put his lower body, and legs, in every rise off the ground into his shot. They focused on his ball handling, so that he could dribble equally with both hands. And they emphasized the mental aspects of the game, figuring out how to put him in the best

JALEN CAREY developed his basketball skills on the same Harlem courts as SU associate head coach Adrian Autry. It was on those courts that Carey and his dad worked on his shot multiple times a day. josh shub-seltzer staff photographer

state of mind. John wanted him to manage and feed on pressure. “We never had a gym to really work out in,” Jalen said. “He had me working out in the beaming hot sun, doing a lot of running. It was just awful, awful times. That’s why I’m here now, because my dad pushed me so hard.”

He had me working out in the beaming hot sun, doing a lot of running. It was just awful, awful times. That’s why I’m here now, because my dad pushed me so hard. Jalen Carey

su freshman guard

The workouts intensified when Jalen was 11. They’d do three-a-days: shots in the morning; running and pullups on the playground during the afternoon; more running, dribbling and shooting at night. In the summers, John took two weeks off work for “vacation.” He and Jalen played in the park from sunrise to about 5 or 6 p.m., he said. When Jalen and his father were training in the snow, passersby gave funny looks. One day after the next, Jalen and his father built up his shot and endurance, because he had to, and because there wasn’t much of alternative. “This is the A-way out,” John said. “There is no B.” Once understood, moves had to be learned, tweaked, developed and mastered. By starting close to the basket, Jalen created natural rise in his jump shot and a perfectly timed high release. He had to shoot with his legs to reach. “Sometimes we’d wake up at 5 or 6 before school,” John said. “Somebody could have come shot us and nobody would know. Somebody could have robbed us and nobody would know. You think we cared?”

or years, Jalen worked hard and trained on his own. He woke up extra early before school to get his routine in, and he hopped off the bus in the afternoon to head straight for the courts. As Jalen matured, John pressed him to train harder. He reminded him of what his future could hold. But Jalen formed a perception that maybe everything was going to

be OK. Early in high school, Jalen’s status as a star in his class became clear. He was developing into one of the top players in his grade, piquing interest from Syracuse, Connecticut, Kansas and Miami. Jalen said he may have been complacent, occasionally carefree. He’d laugh and joke at practice, make light of something funny or look away from the action on occasion. At times, minute details were of little concern. “He was lazy at one point,” said Jimmy Salmon, Jalen’s high school coach. Even John felt a sense of satisfaction. He felt sorry for Jalen. He said there was a point, about three years ago, when he regretted not pushing Jalen hard enough. In turn, John knew Jalen wasn’t giving their sessions the same effort. “I babied him,” John said. “And he didn’t have his lights on.” Eventually, John confronted his son. Three years ago, he drove his gray 2004 Infiniti from a game in Neptune, New Jersey. Jalen’s team had just lost by five. He missed two crucial shots late in the game, and it irritated both of them so much on the ride home that Jalen sat in the back seat, away from his dad. As they approached their apartment building, John pulled over. It was getting late. He yanked his son out of the car and sat him on a fire hydrant on the corner of 116th Street and Lenox Avenue. “This is the A-way,” John recalls telling Jalen. “There is no B. So you can either quit, or you can push forward. You’re going to always be my son, and I’m going to love you to death, regardless. But as your coach, you’re not giving maximum effort. I don’t see no hunger. Is this going to be your time? Or are you going home?” Jalen, then a sophomore in high school, straightened his back and stood up. He looked at his father. “Dad, I want to be great,” he said. John could see it in the steely look he gave, and Jalen knew it too. John wanted to spark Jalen’s fire.

alen doesn’t hide the fact that he has ichthyosis, a skin disease he inherited at birth. It’s characterized by dry, scaling skin. It had always been that way. But that thought didn’t overwhelm him. He said the disease humbles him, and it helped him discover his identity. Salmon said it gives Jalen the confidence to accept himself for himself. “Instead of asking ‘Why me?’ with his disease, he asked, ‘Why not me?’” Salmon said.

“I think he developed a lot of self-confidence through that.” Salmon is the lead reason Syracuse found Jalen. One night two Novembers ago, the coach was watching Syracuse on TV. The attributes of the SU guards caught his attention: long limbs, active on the baseline. After the game, Salmon called Autry. “I don’t know why you haven’t been here,” he told him. “You gotta recruit this kid.” Autry attended one of Jalen’s games two weeks after that and later offered him a scholarship. At Peach Jam in 2017, Syracuse’s coaches stood four-deep to ensure Jalen knew he was a priority. He graduated from Immaculate Conception (New Jersey) High School as a 2,000point scorer. In October 2017, before his senior season, Jalen committed to Syracuse over two dozen offers from schools including Villanova, Kansas, Indiana, Notre Dame and Connecticut. Jalen’s hometown ties with Autry sealed the deal. “Coming from the same neighborhood, we’ve had a lot of good basketball players,” Autry said. “They don’t always make it out. They don’t take advantage of the opportunity sometimes, for whatever reason. Him being here, that says it all” John also wanted to be close to his best friend’s games, so Syracuse made the most sense. Jalen’s father wanted his son to play Division I basketball for a New York team — especially one that could put him on the fast track to the NBA, his ultimate goal. Salmon has coached Vince Carter and Kobe Bryant. Asked about Jalen’s NBA prospects, Salmon said, “I think Jalen will play basketball for the next 10-plus years and get a check. His best basketball is in front of him.” At 19, Jalen can’t help but look in two directions. He hopes to lead Syracuse for two seasons and be selected in the 2020 draft. Once in the league, he’ll look back to the apartment complex in Harlem. Part of his paycheck will go back to low-income children from the housing project in which he grew up. From the moment he steps on the Carrier Dome floor, Jalen will say a prayer before every game to remind himself of the people he loves and the King Towers complex he came from. The further he advances away, the more he can give back. “I never told him what he couldn’t do,” John said. “Just what he could do and who he could be.” mguti100@syr.edu | @Matthewgut21

6 BASKETBALL GUIDE 2018

No doubt

Emily Engstlerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s battles with uncertainty have elevated her to be one of the best recruits in Syracuse basketball history

dailyorange.com

BASKETBALL GUIDE 2018 7

dailyorange.com

at that, and her high school career got off to a scorching start. She was elevated to the varsity team as a freshman, the No. 1 team in the conference and played a steady role in her first 10 games of her varsity career, averaging 3.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists. But between her youth and fixing her jump shot, which had a low, two-handed release, most within the program were optimistic for the years ahead. Then, three weeks into Engstler’s sophomore year, DeLuca, working at his brother’s construction company at the time, got a call from Mackey, who was driving in his car home for the day. “Hey, something happened with Em,” Mackey said. DeLuca rose from his chair. “Alright, I’m coming in early today.”

By Michael McCleary asst. sports editor

EW YORK — The inside of Emily Engstler’s childhood home offers no immediate hints at her past accomplishments. Along the entryway of the 15-story complex overlooking the East River sits an indoor pool. Engstler, her parents, brother and sister did laps in the pool when it was open. Everything was a race for her. She’d swim. She’d box. She’d play ping pong. Everything had to be done at high speeds. She had to win. In the kitchen of the 15th-floor apartment, a small replica Wheaties box with a young Engstler’s photo is perched on top of the refrigerator. It was taken in the third grade with her Christian Youth Organization basketball team before her name grew. Before she reached the heights of the shrine tucked away in her corner bedroom. Before she was Emily Engstler, one of the best Syracuse basketball recruits ever. Engstler, now a freshman at Syracuse, has dominated the scene ever since she picked up a basketball at age three and started playing for her CYO team, Resurrection Academy, a grammar school in New York. She cruised there on boys’ teams. She lit up the AAU circuit. She imprinted her name on the street courts in Roosevelt Island, a small island on the east side of Manhattan. She won awards and gained recognition, including Gatorade Player of the Year in New York state, and was named a McDonald’s All American. “She just loved playing ball,” Engstler’s father Billy said. But even in her success, she had doubts. The boys were embarrassed to play with her in CYO because she was the best on the team. Her opponents didn’t want to lose to a girl. Her toughness was questioned. On the street courts, they wondered at first if Engstler could compete. In high school, local media put her as low as the fourth-best player in the city as rival player Jordan Nixon racked up accolades. Engstler executed moves perfectly in practice and still wondered if she could do them in a game. She grew frustrated, and her tendency to speak her mind never helped. She stomped her feet at teammates’ mistakes. Don’t they see it? Didn’t they know to make a cut? “No they didn’t,” her longtime AAU coach, Jess Villaplana said to her so often. “They don’t.” She didn’t understand why her teammates couldn’t be at her level because she didn’t understand the level she was at. There’s a sense among her longtime coaches, teammates, family members and friends that that’s still present today. There’s humility that downplays her past accomplishments and doubt that prevents her from thinking she can do more. She was nicknamed “LeBronna James” by Hakeem Olajuwon’s daughter, “WNBA” by the players at the Blackwell Park street courts and “Em Baller” by her close friends. Her high school and AAU coach, Joe DeLuca, called her “the female version of Magic Johnson” because of her ability to play all five positions and make tough passes look easy. To all of this, she laughs. “I think no matter what level you’re at … you still have to work on your game and every aspect because if not, it’ll get worse,” Engstler said. “You always want to be better.”

hen Engstler first picked up a basketball, she immediately found her place. By the third grade, Engstler threw one-handed passes the length of the court and couldn’t escape the basketball craving. Two hour practices were followed by multiple hours playing outside. As leaves peeled from the two large oak trees that stand in front of the blacktop, Engstler’s mother, Marilyn, often tracked her teenage daughter’s blonde hair from the balcony of their apartment. “Emily!” Marilyn yelled. Engstler looked around, confused, while also trying to ignore the voice. “Emily! You got to eat!” Marilyn continued. Engstler spotted Marilyn and held up her hand, waving her mother off. “Alright. Ten minutes,” Engstler yelled back. Engstler spent every free moment playing basketball in just a sweatshirt and shorts,

EMILY ENGSTLER often questioned her own ability early on in her career. Now, she’s the best Syracuse recruit ever. josh shub-seltzer staff photographer

even in the cold. When it snowed, she went to the local LA Fitness to play. It’s how she made many of her friends, young and old. Since she was 11, she hardly ever missed a noon Sunday game with the older guys, whose ages ranged from 18 to 50. Hunter Morris, who played streetball with Engstler at Blackwell, said most times when he arrived, Engstler had already been there for an hour. By age 13, she was one of the best players on every court that she played, so the frustration came easy when her teammates didn’t pass. But Engstler didn’t care. When her teammates wouldn’t pass the ball, she took it herself. Though she played physical and, at a young age, often matched the other boys in strength, they made sure to remind her: “If you’re going to play with us, you can’t complain.” “They were saying it because I was a girl,” Engstler said. She put on a smile as young girls approached her, enthralled by her ability to hold her own against the boys. But later she shrugged off the sentiment. Her frustrations sometimes led her to pull herself from games. After every game, she could go on “forever,” Marilyn said, about the things that could have gone differently. In eighth grade, she was playing for Queens Express, a team on the AAU circuit based in the New York City borough Queens, when she was encountered by DeLuca, who saw her make a pass with one hand off just two dribbles. “Who is this kid?” he asked. “That’s Emily Engstler. She’s coming here,” said Bob Mackey, who DeLuca was an assistant under at Christ the King (New York) High School. Once at Christ the King, DeLuca saw little wrong with Engstler’s game. Her passes were crisp. She rebounded like a forward and took the ball from end to end like a guard. DeLuca noticed her frustrations and called it the “Emily face.” Engstler laughed

I think no matter what level you’re at ... you still have to work on your game and every aspect of it because if not, it’ll get worse. You always want to get better. Emily Engstler

su freshman guard/forward

peaking out had gotten Engstler in trouble before, but by the beginning of her sophomore year at Christ the King, it reached its breaking point. While Engstler had an “amazing” experience with the team and her friends at the school, she didn’t have the best relationship with the principal, Marilyn said. “I just didn’t think it was a friendly environment,” Engstler said. Marilyn described four incidents that led to Engstler deciding to transfer from Christ the King. She mentioned minor things like talking in class, publicly asking for her phone back from the dean and arguing with a boy over a stolen seat as the buildup. In the final occurrence, she remained in her seat to finish writing in class, which the substitute teacher that day reported to the principal as her not cooperating. Due to pressure from the school and the Engstlers’ growing distaste, Marilyn signed Engstler out of the school and opened Engstler up to a transfer. “The choice was not based on basketball, but on academics,” Marilyn said in a text. “My only regret is that she did not transfer immediately after her freshman year.” The incident shocked those who surrounded Engstler. She was a model kid, many close to her said, and the only player on her varsity basketball team on the honor roll. Those close to her thought the school was trying to make an example of an athlete. And a popular one, too. Christ the King declined to comment on this story. Engstler attended St. Francis Preparatory (New York) School, the alma mater of her AAU coach Jess Villaplana. Head coach Kerri White didn’t know of Engstler’s arrival until her first day at the school. Engstler sat out her sophomore year due to Catholic school transfer rules. AAU was her only outlet. Her temper remained, though. One game, Engstler was sitting on the bench when Villaplana approached her. “Slide down,” Villaplana remembered she said. “There are plenty of seats at the end of the bench,” Engstler replied. Villaplana scowled: “I don’t give a f*ck. The exit is right there. This is my team.” Engstler immediately slid down and apologized to her coach after the game. Villaplana accepted, and it set the tone for the two’s relationship moving forward. The pair converse about everything, and their relationship is a double-sided bond of player and coach and friend and friend. Around the same time, Tammi Reiss, who was in her first year as an assistant at Syracuse, encountered Engstler late-night at a tournament during a recruiting trip. Engstler was dominating every facet of the game, and Reiss noticed. “I got to have that kid,” she remembered she thought. For a year before Reiss was permitted to call and offer Engstler a scholarship on Sept. 1, 2016, Reiss became a regular at Engstler’s AAU games. They often exchanged head nods. She watched and studied how Villaplana dealt with Engstler. Villaplana didn’t yell. She didn’t use force. She simply handed Engstler a water, allowed her to walk to the end of the bench and waited for Engstler to cool down. Villaplana stressed to Reiss you can’t connect with Engstler without getting to know her. She respects honesty, so that’s what Reiss was, and she tried to mirror the same things Villaplana did to communicate with Engstler. The relationship blossomed. Reiss views Engstler as her see NO DOUBT page 15

FABBRI

QUINNIPIAC

TRICIA AND CARLY FABBRI

2014-18 Carly at QU 6.2 ppg 2.7 apg 113-26 Record during that time

MCDERMOTT CREIGHTON

GREG AND DOUG MCDERMOTT

2010-14 Doug at Creighton 21.7 ppg 7.5 rpg 107-38 Record during that time

BOEH

SYRACUSE U

PAREN GUIDA

Jim Boeheim’s younget son, Bu freshman guard this season. Boeh but now he’ll face a new challeng for Boeheim, his assistant Gerry M been coaching Buddy, whether he years. Along with the Boeheims, h player relationships that made t

SPONSO

SCHAEFER

MISSISSIPPI STATE

VIC AND BLAIR SCHAEFER

2014-18 Blair at MSU 5.2 ppg 38.5 3FG percentage 126-22 Record during that time

HEIM

UNIVERSITY

NTAL ANCE

uddy, suits up for Syracuse as a heim has coached SU since 1976, ge. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be a difficult adjustment McNamara said, but Boeheim has e realized it or not, for the past 18 here are four parent-child, coachtheir mark in college basketball.

ORED BY

RON AND R.J. HUNTER

2012-15 R.J. at GSU 18.4 ppg 4.8 rpg 65-35 Record during that time

HUNTER

GEORGIA STATE

10 BASKETBALL GUIDE 2018

dailyorange.com

BASKETBALL GUIDE 2018 11

dailyorange.com

DIGNA STRAUTMANE worked on developing a more aggresive play style for this season. Last year, the Latvian forward had the worst 3-point shooting percentage of SU’s shooters (21.3) with a minimum of 100 attempts. josh shub-seltzer staff photographer

Looking up Digna Strautmane battles indecisiveness in her second college season

By Nick Alvarez staff writer

uentin Hillsman and Adeniyi Amadou spent the summer of 2017 scouting the FIBA U20 European Championship, waiting. The pair tuned in to further evaluate five-star Latvian-forward Digna Strautmane, the gem of Syracuse’s 2017 recruiting class. Hillsman and Amadou saw games trickle into the fourth quarter with the score tight, expecting Strautmane to rise above feeble competition. She was usually the best player on the court. ESPN’s HoopGurlz ranked her the fifth best forward in the 2017 class. Yet, in crunch time, Strautmane passed instead of shot. She involved her teammates, forgoing one-on-one matchups. She finished the tournament averaging 18.7 points, 7.4 boards and 2.1 assists. She performed well, Amadou remembers, but she never took over. Without knowing it, Strautmane confirmed the suspicions of her soon-to-be coaches: She’s selfless, maybe to a fault. “I understand what they want,” Strautmane said, “but when the game comes it’s some misunderstanding.” Strautmane, one of SU’s five returning starters, is the representation of the “bal-

ance” that Hillsman will strive to create in his 3-point shooting, post presence offense. With the exception of center Amaya FinkleaGuity, each member of the frontcourt will be expected to attack the paint and shoot 3s, both areas in which Strautmane’s indecisiveness plagued her last season.

She’s so unselfish, she always wants to make the right basketball play but there are times where the right basketball play requires you to be selfish. Adeniyi Amadou

su women’s assistant coach

The dichotomy of her game reveals itself whenever she holds the ball: her help-everyone mindset distinguishes her as a leader off the court, but an inefficient scorer on it. Realizing her potential could lead Syracuse to a deep NCAA tournament run. Her coaches think the 2018-19 campaign could be Strautmane’s time, but it remains uncertain. “We’ve known that all along that it would

be her (decision-making) she has to work and develop,” Amadou, SU’s assistant and frontcourt coach, said. “It might be a three-year process, we don’t know.” Strautmane developed in an environment where her selflessness was rewarded. In her hometown of Riga, Latvia, Strautmane’s sister, Paula, called her an “artsy kid.” Strautmane sung and danced before she stepped on the basketball court. She only gave up when her dance teacher told her she was too uncoordinated. Anda Pauliņa, her neighbor, dragged an eight-year-old Strautmane to a basketball practice months later. One game, players rotated in based on their placement on the bench. Whoever exited the game took a seat at the end of the bench. Everyone else slid over one seat. When Strautmane reached the seat next to Inita Eglite, her coach, Eglite stared at her youngest, least-talented athlete and picked someone else. The next time a player came off the floor, Strautmane dropped to her knees and begged for minutes. Lanky and two years younger than her teammates, Strautmane couldn’t find the court. When she did, Strautmane executed the right passes and kept the ball moving, fearful she’d return to the bench if she made a mistake. By the end of her ninth-grade season, Strautmane’s ability caught up with her frame,

and coaches in the United States called. BlueStar Europe, a third-party recruiting service for international athletes and American high schools, invited Strautmane to a showcase in Denmark. Dan Bowmaker, the head of BSE, sold Strautmane on the dream of top-end athletic gear and competitive basketball. A few years earlier, not able to afford new basketball shoes, Strautmane attended 100-straight basketball practices to get a free pair of Reeboks. Strautmane saw a future in the US, like her sister did when she committed to Quinnipiac two years prior. Ainārs Čukste, Strautmane’s coach at the time, threatened to fight Bowmaker if he came to a practice to actively recruit Strautmane. She stayed in Latvia and committed to SU three years later. “There, you will play at the same level as all the other girls,” Strautmane recalled Čukste saying. “(In Latvia), you can improve better.” Her early days laid the foundation for the pass-first mentality the Orange spent last season eradicating. The Orange, down in the fourth quarter en route to its first home loss of the year against Virginia Tech on Feb. 1, ran the offense through Strautmane. She finished with a teamhigh 20 points, but it wasn’t good enough. In the fourth, Strautmane caught the ball on the right block and pivoted her feet. Her eyes swung around the court, searching for a white jersey. Hillsman nearly charged the court as Strautmane passed up a one-on-one opportunity. She wants her teammates to impact the game, sometimes at her, and SU’s, expense. Her worst performances coincided with the team’s worst losses. In Miami on Jan.18, SU lost by five with Strautmane scoring three points on 1-for-11 shooting. Versus Oklahoma State in the NCAA Tournament, she tied a season-low in minutes, knocking down one shot in the 84-57 season-ending blowout. “She’s so unselfish, she always wants to make the right basketball play,” Amadou said, “but there are times where the right basketball play requires you to be selfish. It’s hard to get her to understand the message sometimes because she has to step outside of her comfort zone as a human-being, almost.” Strautmane’s passiveness clashed with the defining principles of Hillsman’s offense: running the floor and shooting 3s. Syracuse called plays to generate open shots for its swing-four and watched her pass the ball immediately. Last season, Hillsman simply “guessed” what the then-freshman would do when open with the ball. Amadou recognized her footwork from behind-the-arc. She rarely caught the ball with the intention to shoot. Strautmane always looked for the open pass, neglecting her own free space. When she realized she had a shot, she rushed her footwork and the ball clanked off the rim time and again. Five Orange shooters totaled more than 100 3-point attempts. Of them, Strautmane posted the worst shooting percentage (21.3 percent on 29-for-136 tries). Coaches said Strautmane put in extra work, entering the gym at 5:30 a.m., but come tip-off she reverts back. “When she was decisive,” Hillsman said, “she was consistent. It’s about being more decisive in what she’s doing. She catches it, she’s open, she needs to shoot it.” Her international teammates warned her that the game speed in the U.S would be an adjustment. During SU’s first non-conditioning practice last season, Strautmane said she was overwhelmed. Mistakes piled up, and she turned to Amadou for one-on-one assistance. The training helped, allowing Strautmane to have a 67-point three-game stretch in conference play. When she rejoined her national team last September, she felt faster and stronger. Every summer, each player leaves with a list of things they can improve upon, Hillsman said. Shooting was at the top of Strautmane’s list. “She’s been great since she came back for her national team,” Hillsman said. “She’s been a different player. She’s shooting the ball well. She’s not hesitating when the ball hits her hands.” Strautmane was a rotation piece on Latvia’s FIBA World Cup team. She averaged 10 minutes in the squad’s three games and ceded shots to older, more-established shooters. On Sept. 22 against China, Latvia’s first game, Strautmane whipped the ball inside. The defense collapsed as she shifted to the left wing. She caught the ball with her feet squared toward the basket, eyes locked on the rim and swished it. For that one shot, she was the player Syracuse thinks she can be. nialvare@syr.edu

12 BASKETBALL GUIDE 2018

dailyorange.com

ELIJAH HUGHES sat out last season after transfering from East Carolina, where he averaged 7.8 points as a freshman. While NCAA transfer rules held Hughes out of games, Hughes improved his shot and added weight and strength in preparation for this season. josh shub-seltzer staff photographer

By Charlie DiSturco senior staff writer

lijah Hughes tattooed his leg shortly after Syracuse’s seasonending loss to Duke last year. Starting just below the knee and reaching down to his ankle, black letters spell out “LYBB.” “Last year being broke,” Hughes explained. It’s not just about money. The 2017-18 basketball season was Hughes’ last year being broken physically, mentally and emotionally. The tattoo symbolizes his struggles from the past year, enduring an entire season without playing competitive basketball due to NCAA transfer rules after he left East Carolina the year prior. An entire season watching from the sideline as the Orange made an NCAA Tournament run to the Sweet 16. An entire season of frustration, because he couldn’t help. But Nov. 6, in SU’s season opener against Eastern Washington inside the Carrier Dome, Hughes’ one-year hiatus from meaningful college game action will finally end. “Seeing everybody there and the excitement around it,” Hughes said of last season, “I wanted to physically be a part of it. So that was hard.” The frustration mounted at times last season, but it never took away from Hughes’ game, his father Wayne said. “It’s like when you feel like you’re hungry, you’re ready to eat,” Wayne said. “You’re not mad at the food, you’re just ready to eat. He just has a hunger in him that he could not feed and that was very obvious. “You could tell he was starving to play.” Each week, Wayne advised his son to focus on tangible improvement. If he improved something small his dribble or added a few more pounds of muscle, it would amount to substantial progress. Wayne believed small

UNBROKEN After transferring from East Carolina, a year on the sidelines redirected Elijah Hughes’ career

improvement over time would result in a successful redshirt year. Because he couldn’t play in games, Hughes took advantage of each practice. He guarded preseason All-ACC teammate Tyus Battle and learned Syracuse’s 2-3 zone. “His shots gotten a lot better,” Battle said. “He’s in much better shape.” On game days in the Carrier Dome, Hughes sat courtside with the team. But sitting so close to the court never made it seem further away. While his teammates slipped on white and orange jerseys, Hughes sported a sweat suit.

He just has a hunger in him that he could not feed and that was very obvious. You could tell he was starving to play. Wayne Hughes elijah’s father

Four to five hours before game time, Syracuse players warmed up on one side of the court. Hughes often stood near assistant coach Gerry McNamara on the other side of

the court, working on the Hughes’ jumper. “When everyone was getting ready to play, and you just had to wait and watch and wear a sweat suit,” senior guard Ky Feldman said. “That was toughest for him.” Battle was roommates with former-SU player Matthew Moyer who sat out his first year with the team. He knew how the time off breaks a player down emotionally and mentally. “It’s always tough,” Battle said. “He loved playing basketball and not being able to play for a whole entire season is rough.” Hughes felt isolated at times during away games, Wayne said. While the team traveled, Hughes stayed on campus. There was no one to practice with. During those trips, Hughes returned to his home in Beacon, New York. Hughes played with friends at nearby colleges or in local men’s leagues, anything to ensure a basketball was in his hands in a semicompetitive environment. Hughes wanted to be challenged physically so that he could build himself back up better and stronger. He cut off “baby fat,” replacing it with muscle, he said. He focused on conditioning, his 3-point shot and playing as a forward, rather than his traditional shooting guard position. “He really played just about every possession of practice, with one group or another,”

head coach Jim Boeheim said. “He very seldom came out.” It took six months before he was finally cleared to travel with the team. When Syracuse qualified for the NCAA Tournament, Hughes went to Detroit with the Orange. Still, something was different. He stood, watching on the sideline, as his team downed Arizona State, TCU and Michigan State before eventually falling in the Sweet 16 to Duke. At that moment, walking off the court with his team, it was the end of Hughes’ redshirt season. It was his last time “being broke.” Whenever Hughes worked out alongside Feldman last season, the two often talked about Hughes playing in games and how he could help the team. They discussed celebrations after hitting 3s, the games they’d travel to and what would happen when Hughes put on the Syracuse uniform. That time has finally come. During Syracuse’s first scrimmage against the College of Saint Rose, Hughes walked into the Carrier Dome locker room. This time, below his white game shorts, the letters “LYBB” spread down his leg. “You don’t play for a year and a half and then you play again,” Hughes said. “It’s like you’re reborn.” csdistur@syr.edu | @charliedisturco

BASKETBALL GUIDE 2018 13

dailyorange.com

By Billy Heyen

asst. sports editor

t three years old, Buddy Boeheim pulled game tapes out of a drawer in his parents’ bedroom. Buddy remembered which games Syracuse won and which it lost. The tapes with the most wear and tear were some of the biggest wins SU had in Buddy’s lifetime. “If it was one I really liked, like the (2003) national championship game, that whole run I watched those games seven, eight times,” Buddy said. “All day. And just relived the games because that was my life growing up.” Buddy, the son of Hall of Famer and Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim, has been an SU fan as long as he can remember. The team he admired for 18 years trained him all the while. Players he viewed as heroes turned into mentors and his father morphed into a coach. Years around the program directed Buddy to SU, but invaluable instruction has prepared him for a freshman season on Jim Boeheim Court. “It’s something I’ve watched and thought about my whole life and pictured in my head,” Buddy said, of playing for Syracuse. “So I feel like I’m more ready than a lot of guys usually are because I’ve been around it so much.”

uddy’s mother, Juli, knew what a Syracuse loss meant for her youngest son. Tears. Lots of tears. She and Buddy often waited outside the locker room while Buddy had “a big two- to three-hour cry,” Juli said. Buddy needed to see his father. And then he’d cry all over again. In sixth and seventh grade, when last names were added to jerseys, Buddy’s connection to his dad was more apparent than ever. People expected him to be the best player on the court, and Buddy himself wanted to live up to the Boeheim name. But at the time, he wasn’t even in the starting lineup. After some bad games, Buddy walked out to the car and cried or threw things. He didn’t think then that he’d ever contribute at his dream school. Maybe he’d be a walk-on, or come to Syracuse because he always wanted to. Not because he deserved it. As Buddy’s self-doubt manifested, his father propped him up. “He would see my crying after games, and he’d tell me I’m gonna be the best player in the area someday,” Buddy said. “And that just stuck out, always reminded me every now and then that he always believed in me.” Eventually, Boeheim helped his son surpass the burden. He attended Buddy’s games at Jamesville-DeWitt (New York) High School when he could and provided “nuggets of advice” afterward. Other nights, J-D’s head coach Jeff Ike visited SU to receive Boeheim’s advice on the zone and install quick-hitter offensive sets. Once Buddy grew out of the pressure, he proved he was a top-level recruit. But Buddy went into the summer after his junior year without an SU offer. Then, Boeheim’s assistants came to his office and implored him to grant Buddy a spot, Juli said. After only a bit of discussion at home, Boeheim agreed. Buddy had earned it. “I wouldn’t have pushed through that (without him),” Buddy said. “Just keeping me motivated at all times, even if I was struggling.”

uddy watched the 2003 national championship game from his house as Gerry McNamara hit six first-half 3s. Six years later, he sweated and cried in Madison Square Garden as Eric Devendorf and Syracuse beat UConn in six overtimes in the Big East tournament. Over time, the legends of Syracuse basketball folklore became Buddy’s personal coaches. Beginning in seventh grade, Buddy worked out with Devendorf when he returned for summers while playing overseas. Devendorf didn’t touch Buddy’s jump shot — it was already “unbelievable,” he said. McNamara compared it to NBA AllStar Klay Thompson’s. So, Devendorf and Buddy worked on other aspects of his game. “Trying to give him little secrets here and there,” Devendorf said. “Putting the ball on the ground and just having confidence in himself.” The two guards played each other one-on-one. Buddy never won, he said. But the passion and intensity Devendorf trained with rubbed off on Buddy. And that relationship helped Buddy as pressure mounted. When it wasn’t easy to talk to the source of the pressure, Buddy had another outlet. Devendorf had played in front of packed collegiate arenas around the country. He knew what it was like to have people counting on you, even if he couldn’t relate exactly to what Buddy dealt with. “When your dad is a Hall of Fame coach, expectations can be pretty high,” Devendorf said. “People can put a lot of nonsense out there. You have a bad game, you have a good game, they’re always gonna have something to say.” Devendorf took a position as special assistant to the head coach at University of Detroit Mercy after working on SU’s strength staff. But McNamara remains one of Boeheim’s assistants, and he’s worked with Buddy to expand beyond his jump shot. He puts it on the floor better now, McNamara said, and has started to make second-level reads off of drives. When McNamara arrived at Syracuse in 2002, he saw Buddy in diapers. Sixteen years later, SU’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made is afraid to challenge that same kid to a shooting contest. “I might have to work him out for an hour before practice, after the hardest practice of the year, work him out for another 30 minutes and then challenge him,” McNamara said. “I think

BUDDY BOEHEIM grew up watching tape from old Syracuse basketball games, including the 2003 National Championship run, and dreamed of playing basketball for the Orange. josh shub-seltzer staff photographer

‘DREAM COME TRUE’ Buddy Boeheim joins the program that’s trained him for 18 years

that’ll be the timing.” Buddy and Devendorf still text every few weeks. Not everyone has the opportunity for relationships growing up with players like McNamara and Devendorf, Buddy said. “Without their advice and telling me what I need to focus on, I don’t think I would really be here and be the player I am today,” Buddy said.

t ACC Media Day on Oct. 24, Boeheim said he plans to play nine guys. Buddy is the ninth man. In Syracuse’s first scrimmage, Buddy started and scored 19 points with multiple SU guards missing out due to injury. Whenever the first regular-season minutes come for Buddy, he’ll be revitalizing an old last name-number combination. From 1962 to 1966, when Boeheim played for the Orange, he wore the number 35, which Buddy will do this season. He picked the number in eighth grade, before he knew it had been his dad’s collegiate number. Buddy just liked the number, he said. But he was glad to keep wearing it, and to wear it at Syracuse, after he learned in high school about the number’s history

in his family. “He’s my inspiration for why I’m here,” Buddy said. “And a big part of it besides my love for the game. I wouldn’t be here without him.” McNamara said that Buddy’s early playing time will be dictated by his shooting. The 6-foot-5 guard comes in with a reputation as a sharp-shooter, and Syracuse struggled from the 3-point range last season, making 31.8 percent of its shots from behind the arc. In the 2017 Nike Elite Youth Basketball League, Buddy shot 55.6 percent from 3-point land. For years, Buddy has reaped the benefits of a Syracuse basketball player. He’s traveled to conference tournaments and played in the Melo Center since its inception. He’s received personal tutelage from each member of the coaching staff. Still, one thing might be weird for Buddy, he said, at least the first time. Sometime this season, his dad will point down the bench as Buddy has seen him do hundreds of times before. But this time, Boeheim will be pointing at another Boeheim. “Just playing here is a dream come true,” Buddy said. “And I’m just looking forward to that.” wmheyen@syr.edu | @wheyen3

14 BASKETBALL GUIDE 2018

dailyorange.com

MARIE-PAULE FOPPOSSI (LEFT), ADENIYI AMADOU, MAEVA DJALDI-TABDI AND KADIATOU SISSOKO are connected by Amadou’s work as an international recruiter at SU. He brings in players from all over the globe, including Foppossi, Djaldi-Tabdi and Sissoko from France. josh shub-seltzer staff photographer

FRENCH

CONNECTION Adeniyi Amadou has revolutionized Syracuse’s international recruiting By Eric Black

asst. digital editor

uring a meeting in 2016, Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman sat down with Adeniyi Amadou to talk about the team’s future. Hillsman had just brought Amadou back to Syracuse to join his coaching staff and lead recruiting, and the two of them met to discuss Hillsman’s perpetual goal — winning a national championship. “What’s your vision?” Amadou asked Hillsman. “How can we do this?” They wanted players who would mesh and get along well, regardless of background or style of play. On the court, Hillsman looked for players with length who could play multiple positions and help the Orange play seemingly “positionless” basketball. The head coach established his vision. Amadou formulated the plan. Most of his best recruits in the past, when he coached at Dayton and Kentucky, had been from the United States. Hillsman aimed elsewhere. “For some reason, he was like, ‘Hey, let’s do this internationally,’” Amadou said. “He explained to me the vision. ‘This is where I’m trying to get to, now it’s on you to try to figure out how to get it done.’” During Amadou’s first season as assistant coach, Syracuse made the national championship game before falling to No. 1 Connecticut.

Last season, the Orange were bounced from the NCAA tournament in the first round. Now, the players that Amadou’s recruited since joining the staff are finally at Syracuse and ready to make an impact. Australian Tiana Mangakahia is coming off a record-breaking, All-ACC season and leads a group of six international recruits brought in by Amadou, a native of Paris, France. Whether or not SU finally accomplishes its head coach’s goal this season may depend on the production of the players his recruiting guru has brought in. Amadou’s career in basketball began when he was 15, in France. A year later, he’d left his parents’ home to play professionally. At 18, he was in the U.S. playing collegiately at Army, under Bob Knight-disciple Jim Cruz. He spent just a year there, ultimately finishing his college career at Indiana University of Pennsylvania before parlaying a successful senior year into a professional contract in France. But playing professionally wasn’t for him, and he decided to apply to colleges for his master’s degree. Amadou was accepted into a one-year communications program at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, and figured, “Why not?” “It was my first time that I was just a student, not being an athlete,” Amadou said. “So I loved that part. Being in graduate classes, we had fantastic debates about world affairs, what’s going on in the world, I was learning

how to be a journalist.” The political climate of the country and the world at the time made for good talking points, he said, and he loved discussing them with his professors and classmates. Soon, he gravitated back toward basketball and landed a spot as a graduate assistant for the SU women’s team. There he met Dan Olson, director of espnW HoopGurlz, ESPN’s women’s basketball recruiting service. During Hillsman’s summer camps at the Carrier Dome, the two built a relationship and talked about everything basketball-related they could. “As I sat in the Dome and evaluated kids, he would sit by me,” Olson said. “We’d communicate, talk trash, we’d test each other’s knowledge on basketball players, where they went, all that sort of thing. He was pretty good.” Amadou talked to Olson about the connections Amadou had internationally, specifically in France. His background and reputation caught the eye of then-Dayton head coach Jim Jabir, who had mutual friends with Amadou and called him. The two began talking, but instead of discussing basketball, they talked about politics, world affairs and all of the things Amadou enjoyed debating at Newhouse. One day, Jabir took a chance and turned the conversation back to basketball. He had a position open on his coaching staff, and he wanted Amadou to fill it. The grad student was hesitant at first, but Jabir persisted, offering to fly Amadou to Dayton to show him around. “I came for the weekend and everything was great,” Amadou said. “And then it was like, ‘Listen, this is the job, it’s not a lot of money, it’s $30,000.’ I heard $30,000 and I’m like, ‘This is it. I’m taking this job.’” At first, his job consisted of minimal responsibilities recruiting-wise. Eventually, looking to create connections and learn the basics of recruiting, Amadou began to call coaches across the country. One of those calls was to James Banks, the head coach and director of the Nike Lady Gym Rats, an AAU team in Indianapolis. Amadou asked Banks to teach him what mistakes bad assistant coaches around the country make and what qualities good assis-

tants have. “You have to understand a few things,” Amadou remembered Banks said. “You have to understand the core values of that family ... you shouldn’t sell the school necessarily right away ... you should sell them on the values that your staff have. In the end, (the parents) should see in you someone that they’d want to entrust her child with.” Banks told him to put relationships first, and as Amadou earned more recruiting duties, he did. The first two players Dayton signed that were recruited by him, Celeste Edwards and Jodie Cornelie-Sigmundova, were recruited by bigger schools. Edwards played on the Gym Rats, coached by Amadou’s recruiting “mentor,” Banks. Cornelie-Sigmundova, a product of France, came to Dayton thanks in part to her native ties with Amadou. They were “bigger than our conference,” Amadou said, but came to the Flyers because of their connection with him. After four years at Dayton and two at Kentucky, Amadou returned to Syracuse where Hillsman laid out his plan. Amadou began recruiting with a focus internationally immediately — two of his first recruits were Mangakahia, an Australian point guard who was playing junior college basketball in the United States, and Digna Strautmane, a Latvian forward. Mangakahia is coming off her first season with the Orange, a season in which she averaged a double-double, led the country in assists and made the All-ACC first team. Strautmane, meanwhile, just finished her freshman season and was named to the AllACC freshman team. “The overseas recruiting process is Adeniyi Amadou, period,” Hillsman said. “He’s the premier international recruiter in the country, by far, it’s not close. Every top player that’s in Europe, we have a chance to recruit them and we have a chance to get, and that’s very important for us ... Adeniyi has single-handedly raised our level in international recruiting.” This year, SU’s roster is littered with more international recruits, but with a concentration of French players. Two redshirt freshmen, Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi and see FRENCH CONNECTION page 15

BASKETBALL GUIDE 2018 15

dailyorange.com

from page 7

no doubt “daughter,” and Engstler texts her for advice in life and school. In the two weeks following Engstler’s official visit to SU — the last days before her commitment day — Reiss couldn’t sleep. She had grown connected to Engstler, who brought her father and others to games, making it a family affair. On Engstler’s commitment day, Reiss sat on her couch expecting the call by 11 a.m. or noon. When it rang, she froze. “Hey coach …” Engstler said. Reiss doubled over and put her hand on her face, sensing the lack of emotion in Engstler’s voice. She vowed she’d never get that attached to a player after a player she recruited for two years at Virginia chose to go elsewhere. When Engstler spoke, and Reiss felt the emotions rush over her, she realized she failed. “I think I’m going to commit to Syrafrom page 14

french connection Marie-Paule Foppossi, came to Syracuse last year, while Kadiatou Sissoko arrived this season. He first heard about Foppossi from Cornelie-Sigmundova, his first international recruit ever. The two of them were playing on the same team in France, and Cornelie-Sigmundova told Amadou that her teammate knew nothing about the college recruiting process or the U.S. At first, Amadou didn’t talk about Syracuse, only the process of coming to America. Before long, he offered Foppossi a scholarship, and she committed. Djaldi-Tabdi’s recruitment was more personal. Amadou recruited her sister, Mousdandy, when he was at Dayton. Mousdandy decided to stay in France and play professionally, but Amadou built a relationship with the family. When Djaldi-Tabdi popped up on SU’s radar, it was a much

cuse,” Engstler said. “I’m going to be an Orange woman.” “I lost it,” Reiss laughed. She called her dad and told him the news first. After her commitment, the accolades kept coming. Engstler was a nominee for the McDonald’s All American Game, but she doubted she’d get the honor, Villaplana said. She made ground on the street courts, where she was dubbed a legend. Morris was shocked at how well she handled the physicality — on the courts players take elbows to the neck and ribs. Some call it jail ball. He remembered a play three years ago where a guy named Lequan Francis, who had a reputation of yelling and mocking people on the court, guarded Engstler in the post. She backed him down and scored right over him. In contrast to her outspoken ways, she turned around, put a finger over her mouth and hushed him. At the McDonald’s ceremony, when it became clearer that Engstler would receive

the honor, Engstler’s parents summoned Villaplana to the front row. Before it started, Engstler and Villaplana stared at each other. “Who would’ve thought, Em?” Villaplana asked. “Jess, you did. You always did,” Engstler said. “When I doubted, you always did.”

easier sell. “We had such a good rapport with the mother and the sister,” Amadou said, “the second time around, the mother was like ‘Listen, you can have this one.’” After sitting out her redshirt season, Djaldi-Tabdi will likely see minutes in the post this year for the Orange and is a breakout candidate off the bench, Olson said. The third native of France is Sissoko, the true freshman and the top French recruit that Amadou’s landed. The 11th-ranked recruit in the 2018 class, Sissoko was also introduced to Amadou through Cornelie-Sigmundova. The two played against each other in a game and afterward, Cornelie-Sigmundova asked her former coach if he knew about Sissoko. “You know this kid? She’s pretty good, right,” Amadou remembered Cornelie-Sigmundova said. “(Sissoko) wants to go to America, but she has no clue, can you help her?” Amadou responded, “Yeah, I can help her,” then he paused, “come here.”

While recruiting is important, Amadou said, the period after players come to Syracuse is even more significant. He’s involved more with the players then because he’s the go-to guy when they don’t understand a phrase in English or a concept in practice. The language barrier was the hardest part of the transition for Foppossi, who said her teammates and Amadou were vital in integrating her into the team. “Coach Amadou was one of the big factors when I came here,” Foppossi said. “He knows how difficult it is to move far away from your family, so it was really a good factor for me to come here.” Amadou recommends that recruits read English magazines and watch English television shows or movies before they get to Syracuse to ease the difficulties with transitioning. “Game of Thrones,” “Power” and “Empire” were three of the shows that helped Foppossi learn the language best. For Amadou, it was “The Fresh Prince of

ow at Syracuse, Engstler has brought her streetball f lare to the Orange. Several teammates are wowed by her spin move, despite its predictability at times. The same few referenced a behind-theback pass she made at half court, straight to Gabrielle Cooper. Engstler frequently plays pickup games with her teammates and other athletes. Maybe it’s unfair that Engstler and her teammates round up SU athletes to play with them, she mentioned. But she doesn’t care because they always win. They never have to leave the court. Many at SU project her as a “program-

changing” player. Associate head coach Vonn Read can’t remember Syracuse putting this much emphasis on one recruit since the Orange lured now-WNBA star Brittney Sykes. But Engstler has the duty to represent where she came from and the important task of regularizing New York-based recruits at SU. She wants to start the movement. This past July, Morris was heading out with a few friends, and he saw Engstler in a convenience store. He stopped and told everyone he was with he had to go inside and say hi to someone. When he entered the store, he approached Engstler and gave her a big hug and congratulated her for all she had accomplished. She said it wasn’t a big deal, which he balked at. It was. “I’m proud of you. Just keep doing your thing,” he said. “Do it for the island.” She nodded, and Morris left the store. Then she set out to do it. mmcclear@syr.edu | @mikejmccleary

Bel-Air” and “Friends.” This past September, during the Contact Period of NCAA Women’s Basketball recruiting, Amadou traveled to Central Europe, Scandinavia, Spain and France. Thanks to the connections he’s made in his career, his work is getting easier. Word is spreading about Syracuse’s growing recruiting pipeline to different countries around the world. His current recruits, past recruits, missed recruits, and contacts domestically and abroad are doing the job for him to an extent by talking about the school, he said. This model, which he noted was refined by Gonzaga on the men’s side, is what he hopes to continue to perfect moving forward. “It’s an organic pipeline so to speak, because eventually what we’re hoping is for the kids to recruit themselves,” Amadou said. “They will say, from the human standpoint and the basketball standpoint and the academic standpoint, this is the place.” erblack@syr.edu | @esblack34

Monday – Wed Thursday-Satu Sunday open u

Your pleasure is our passion. Mon.-Thurs.: 8a.m.-1a.m. • Fri.-Sat.: Open 24 hours • Sun.: 8a.m.-12a.m.

Smoking Supplies & Adult Toys

Your pleasure is our passion. We are the closest-shop for adult Smoking supplies products and smoking accessories! & adult toys Only 10 minutes from campus!

We are the closest shop for adult products and smoking accessories! Only 10 minutes from campus! Saturday College Best prices in Syracus Promotion

Saturday Show yourCollege college ID, Promotion and get 10% off your purchase of $20 or

Show your ID and morecollege on anything in get 10%theoffstore. your purchase of $20 or more on anything in the store.

Smoking Best prices in Accessories Syracuse on: Hookahs Smoking Adult fun Glass accessories • Lingerie Vaporizers • Hookahs • Adult toys • Glass • Novelties • Vaporizers & much more...

Adult Fu Lingeri Adult T Novelt

& muc

2576 Erie Blvd. east (315) 446-1595 Boul 2576 Erie Blvd. East • (315) 446-1595 • boulevardbooks.net Follow us on Facebook & Twitter Follow us on Facebook & Twitter

16 september 30, 2016

da ilyorange.com

The #1 Entertainment & Sports Venue in Historic Herald Square!

WATCH PARTIES

FOR ALL S.U. HOME & AWAY GAMES

ON OUR

90â&#x20AC;? TV! 3 PRIVATE PARTY ROOMS & 400 FREE PARKING SPOTS

Game Room

Shuffleboard, Darts, & More

Dozens of NYS Beer on Tap Specialty Drinks Family Friendly Awesome Menu 220 Herald Place, Syracuse www.pressroompub.com (315) 569-4345

Like us on