BOUNCE
BACK BASKETBALL GUIDE 2022
A MISSING PRESENCE With Jesse Edwards, Syracuse has the scoring center it’s lacked for years. PAGE 4
‘HE’S A SCORER’ Joe Girard’s move to shooting guard will help return him to a top shooter for Syracuse this season PAGE 6
BUCKET GETTER Dyaisha Fair will look to lead Sryacuse’s offense after leading Buffalo in scoring for three straight years PAGE 10
2 basketball guide 2022
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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
The Daily Orange is an independent, nonprofit newspaper published in Syracuse, New York. The editorial content of the paper — which started in 1903 and went independent in 1971 — is entirely run by Syracuse University students. The D.O., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is editorially and fi nancially independent from SU, and the paper receives no funding from the university. Instead, The D.O. relies on advertising revenue and donations to sustain operations. This spring, the paper will be published Monday and Thursday when SU classes are in session. Special inserts are published on Thursdays before home football and basketball games. The D.O.’s online coverage is 24/7, including while SU is on break. To show your support to The D.O.’s independent journalism, please visit dailyorange.com/donate. Donations are tax deductible. Editor@dailyorange.com News@dailyorange.com Opinion@dailyorange.com Culture@dailyorange.com Sports@dailyorange.com Digital@dailyorange.com Design@dailyorange.com
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basketball guide 2022 3
Dear readers,
J
im Boeheim made it clear at Syracuse men’s basketball media day the goal this year was the same as every year — make it to the NCAA Tournament. Felisha Legette-Jack said Syracuse’s women’s basketball could “shock the world” and bring as many as 35,000 fans into the Dome. The men’s and women’s sides have ambitious goals despite both teams reaching new lows last season. Boeheim had his first losing season of his career, and the women’s team was sub .500 for the first time in 14 years. But this year, the men’s side returns two mainstays in Jesse Edwards and Joe Girard while the women’s side used the transfer portal to pick up Dyaisha Fair and Olivia Owens. And both teams welcomed two talented freshmen as well in Judah Mintz and Lexi McNabb. As Syracuse heads into its opening games, The Daily Orange’s 2022 Basketball Guide previews the Orange’s season on the hardwood. Thanks for reading, Anish Vasudevan sports editor
BASKETBALL SCHEDULE 2022 MEN’S BASKETBALL
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Nov. 7 vs. Lehigh (8 pm)
Jan. 7 vs. Virginia (5 pm)
Nov. 15 vs. Colgate (7 pm) Nov. 19 vs. Northeastern (TBD) Nov. 21 vs. Richmond (7 pm)
Jan. 11 vs. Virginia Tech (7 pm) Jan. 14 vs. Notre Dame (7 pm) Jan. 16 at Miami (7 pm)
Nov. 7 vs. Stony Brook (3:30 pm) Nov. 10 vs. Colgate (7 pm) Nov. 14 vs. Binghamton (7 pm)
Jan. 12 at Boston College (7 pm) Jan. 15 vs. Notre Dame (2 pm) Jan. 19 at Georgia Tech (7 pm)
Nov. 22 vs. Temple or St John's (7 pm or 9:30 pm) Nov. 26 vs. Bryant (7 pm)
Jan. 21 at Georgia Tech (12 pm) Jan. 24 vs. North Carolina (9 pm) Jan. 28 at Virginia Tech (7 pm)
Nov. 17 vs. Long Island (7 pm) Nov. 21 at Penn State (7 pm) Nov. 25 vs. Bucknell (7 pm)
Jan. 22 at Duke (12 pm) Jan. 26 vs. Virginia (7 pm) Jan. 29 vs. Louisville (7 pm)
Nov. 29 at Illinois (7 pm or 7:30 pm)
Jan. 30 vs. Virginia (7 pm)
Dec. 3 at Notre Dame (12 pm) Dec. 6 vs. Oakland (6 pm) Dec. 10 vs. Georgetown (1 pm)
Feb. 4 at Boston College (5 pm) Feb. 8 at Florida State (7 pm) Feb. 14 vs. NC State (7 pm)
Nov. 30 at Purdue (6 pm) Dec. 4 at Yale (12 pm) Dec. 8 vs. Coppin State (7 pm)
Feb. 2 at Virginia Tech (12 pm) Feb. 5 vs. Boston College (2 pm) Feb. 9 vs. North Carolina (7 pm)
Dec. 12 vs. Monmouth (7 pm) Dec. 17 vs. Cornell (3 pm) Dec. 20 vs. Pittsburgh (9 pm)
Feb. 18 vs. Duke (6 pm) Feb. 22 at Clemson (7 pm) Feb. 25 at Pittsburgh (5 pm)
Dec. 11 vs. Wagner (2 pm) Dec. 18 vs. Wake Forest (12 pm) Dec. 20 vs. Albany (10:30 am)
Feb. 12 at Notre Dame (4 pm) Feb. 16 at Florida State (6 pm) Feb. 19 vs. Miami (Fla.) (1 pm)
Dec. 29 at Louisville (7 pm) Jan. 1 vs. North Carolina State (7 pm)
Feb. 23 at Pittsburgh (6 pm)
Dec. 30/Dec. 31 vs. Boston College (TBD) Feb. 28 vs. Georgia Tech (7 pm) Jan. 3 at Louisville (7 pm) Mar. 4 vs. Wake Forest (5 pm)
Jan. 5 vs. Pittsburgh (6 pm) Jan. 8 at Clemson (2 pm)
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O T Y D A E R For years, Jesse Edwards heard he wasn’t ready. Now, he’ll have the chance to prove his development has paid off. By Connor Smith senior staff writer
J
esse Edwards was a long, lanky freshman with limited basketball experience when he first suited up for Syracuse. Former SU center Roosevelt Bouie tagged along an August 2019 exhibition tour in Italy, and while watching a team featuring future NBA players Buddy Boeheim and Elijah Hughes, it was Edwards who stood out. Bouie saw Edwards’ skill set: his sharp moves around the basket, soft touch, strong hands and floor-running abilities. “Holy crap,” Bouie said to himself. The
From the day he came in, you could see the potential was there. Jim Boeheim syracuse mens’ basketball coach
former All-American, who played at SU from 1976-80, didn’t have that floor presence until his junior year. Edwards was an incoming freshman. Edwards’ abilities were always clear to Bouie. Not so to everyone else. Edwards saw limited minutes in his freshman and sophomore seasons before starting last year. Head coach Jim Boeheim repeatedly said he wasn’t ready. Edwards contemplated transferring. This season, Edwards will be one of Syracuse’s top scoring weapons, tasked to control the paint on both ends. His skills have always been there — he’s athletic, has a 7-foot-4 wingspan, can block shots, finish around the rim and win one-on-one post matchups. Syracuse hasn’t had a center like Edwards in six years. And now, after fully recovering from February’s season-
basketball guide 2022 5
O GO JESSE EDWARDS spent two years at Syracuse on the bench. This year, he’ll be the go-to offensive center for the Orange. arthur maiorella staff photographer
ending wrist injury and playing against top NBA players over the summer, Edwards is equipped to show everyone why Bouie believed in him from that first game in Italy. “From the day he came in, you could see the potential was there,” Boeheim said “He’s gotten better every year… He’s stronger, he sees the game better, understands the game better, and is just improved.” Recently, Syracuse centers have rarely gotten significant post touches with their back to the basket. Tyler Lydon, the last SU post player to average double-digit points before Edwards, said a center with offensive talent takes pressure off everyone else, and makes it harder on defenses. “He’s going to have to step up big time,” Lydon said. “I think that his position and him being able to score the basketball is going to be huge.” The Netherlands isn’t a basketball hotspot, and Edwards wasn’t introduced to the sport until a 2010 vacation in Florida. Edwards’ older brothers Rens and Kai were bigger than him, forcing him to develop guard-like skills so he could get to the rim. He joined BC Apollo when he was 14, underwent a massive growth spurt and enrolled at IMG Academy. Syracuse heard about Edwards, and assistant coach Allen Griffin checked him out at IMG. Edwards was a prototypical SU center: tall, long, thin and could anchor the Orange’s zone. But unlike recent centers Paschal Chukwu, Baye Moussa Keita and Bourama Sidibe, Edwards had an offensive game. He just needed some time to develop. “No one told him when we recruited him that he was going to play as a freshman,”
Griffin said. “You might see a little bit of time during your sophomore year. By your junior year, you should be ready to step in and be the guy at that position. And that’s just what happened.” It is, but those first two years were challenging. Boeheim was honest with Edwards’ family about his timetable, David said, and there were conversations about him redshirting his freshman year. The following
said. “It was rough.” Edwards took Boeheim’s criticisms as motivation, David said. He spent extra time working with Griffin, and his IQ, physique and overall game improved. Hearing regularly from former players like Bouie and Etan Thomas helped. Thomas, a Syracuse center from 19962000, first reached out to Edwards his freshman year. Thomas came close to transferring after his freshman season, but talking with Bouie, in addition to on-court work with assistant coaches, helped him develop into an All-American and first-round NBA Draft pick. Bouie gave Thomas simple messages: stay positive, be ready. Thomas said the same things to Edwards. He saw Edwards struggling his freshman season, but saw the center’s potential. At that point, Boeheim would pull Edwards after mistakes or fouls. Thomas told Edwards what Bouie had said to him: “you can’t play worried.” The messaging continued into Edwards’ sophomore and junior seasons, with Thomas going into the locker room to talk with him after games or posting his support online. When Boeheim said Edwards was one of the nation’s most offensively gifted centers last year, Thomas sent the center the clip. “See how you make people change their tune? Good job,” Thomas said.
BREAKOUT CAMPAIGN
Jesse Edwards enters the 2022-23 season as one of SU’s top scoring options after recording double-digit points per game for the first time in his career last season source: cuse.com
season, Edwards averaged fewer points than as a freshman. Edwards thought about transferring. “It was a tough time, especially freshman and sophomore year when I was that guy that wasn’t playing a lot,” Edwards
Bouie sent specific pointers to Edwards after watching his games and practices. He noticed Edwards always kept his hands up during drills, but dropped them when rebounding. “You want to keep your hands up whenever you’re inside the paint. Get into
the habit of when you walk into the paint, your hands are never below your shoulders,” Bouie told Edwards. Edwards wasn’t going to have a great game immediately, Bouie said. While reviewing a game, Bouie wouldn’t look at Edwards’ stats, rather his physical presence on the floor. When Bouie played he was convinced opponents were undermanned when they had a two-on-one fast break against him. He wanted Edwards to have this mentality, too. “He’s like a sponge,” Bouie said. “When I would say something to Jesse, he would go out, and he would see it and he would do it.” Edwards used the messages to push through the two years of limited playing time, eventually starting last year. His minutes per game tripled, his points sextupled. He showed flashes of what Bouie saw in Italy a few years prior, tying the ACC lead for blocks per game and becoming a semireliable inside scoring threat. Syracuse was playing its best basketball of the season when Edwards injured his left wrist against Boston College. He had recorded double-digit points in seven of his last eight games. The timing made the injury — a clean break — that much worse. Within 24 hours, Edwards had a cast on the wrist. It took six weeks before he could return to the court, but he continued going to the gym, finding creative ways to complete squats and use kettlebells without his hands — and a screw in his wrist. Edwards knew that if he kept working during the offseason, he could have an even better senior year, Kai said. Edwards said it didn’t take long to find his groove again. His finishing ability returned by the time he was home in July working with Kai, and he was at full strength by the time Syracuse’s summer workouts started. “I totally forgot he got injured, like you wouldn’t even know, (it) doesn’t affect him at all,” freshman center Peter Carey said. “Definitely made a full recovery, even back to the beginning of the summer he seemed like he was 100%.” Edwards spent the offseason trying to strengthen his core and hips, in addition to focusing on gaining weight. Griffin said Edwards is bigger and stronger, but his 230pound frame is still slender for an ACC center. There’s still an emphasis on maintaining mobility and quickness since Edwards has to be in shape to play 30 minutes a game, David said. Bouie, who used to run camps with the EuroLeague, says he can display the difference between centers and forwards with see edwards page 14
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NATURAL 2 After years of being the Orange’s offensive focal point, Joe Girard will move to shooting guard, a change that “rejuvenated” his time with Syracuse By Anthony Alandt senior staff writer
A
rleen Girard’s mornings used to always start the same way. She would walk into her son’s room around 7 a.m. He’d sit up in his crib, stand and yell “ball, ball.” Arleen would carry Joe Girard III downstairs where a Little Tikes basketball hoop stood. The household’s split-level design allowed Girard to stand on the top two steps leading to the living room. Half asleep, Arleen would sit underneath the basket and rebound for Girard for about an hour before work.
He’s a scorer. That’s what he is, that’s what he was. Jim Boeheim syracuse mens’ basketball coach
Girard loved to shoot over the weekends, too. Over the next few years, the Little Tikes hoop moved outside, where Girard spent the majority of his day. “When he was able to walk, he was always dribbling a basketball,” Arleen said. At 4 years old, he started playing organized basketball at the YMCA in Glens Falls, New York. Donning a red USA jersey, he’d match his jersey with red shorts, red high-top Jordan’s and a red arm sleeve, imitating his favorite NBA players. Girard came to Syracuse as a point guard. For three years, he drew attention as a 3-point scorer and playmaker from the point. But with the addition of Judah Mintz, the 33rd overall prospect in the 2022 class, Girard is moving to the No. 2 spot in the lineup. “It’s just another way for me to compete,”
Girard said. “It’s probably the more fun spot in the Syracuse offense just because of the way we run our offense through the wings.” Growing up as a Miami Heat fan, Girard loved watching Dwyane Wade. Sometimes, he’d make Arleen count down from eight to zero, running around the living room and imitating a Wade game-winning shot. Arleen said Girard would try his imitations out at the YMCA. But what he liked the most about Wade was his ability from beyond the 3-point arc. Girard would wobble around the court as an infant with a basketball as big as he was, while his father, Joseph Jr., coached the Glens Falls girls’ basketball team. “He would just walk around and I think just watching what everybody was doing, trying to shoot,” Arleen said. “He was in awe of it. Loved it.” Girard eventually took part in a freethrow shooting competition for nine to 11 year-olds as part of the nationwide Hoop Shoot Contest. Shoot 25 foul shots, win, and you can advance to the regional competition. Girard first entered when he was 10, though he didn’t make it far. Two years later, Girard went a perfect 25-for-25 in the first round of the tournament. Then, he advanced to the finals in Houston, where he won by making all but two shots. “It followed him all the way through high school, still does. He’s a great foul shooter,” Girard’s third cousin and former high school teammate Connor Girard said. “He was just used to shooting 100 free throws in front of a crowd as a child.” Both Girard’s uncle Rob Girard, the head coach of boys’ varsity basketball at Glens Falls High School, and Joseph Jr. preached the acronym B.E.E.F. to their players: balance, elbow, eyes, follow through. Girard has worked since high school on moving his elbow in to improve his 3-point shooting. In middle school, Connor saw Girard’s shot improve after he moved his elbow in and see GIRARD page 14
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S S E L T N E REL Years in the AAU circuit with Team Durant and Oak Hill Academy gave Judah Mintz the skills to add his name to the list of top Syracuse guards By Anish Vasudevan sports editor
J
udah Mintz studied Syracuse even deeper once it started to recruit him after he decommitted from Pittsburgh. Former Oak Hill head coach Steve Smith said Mintz is a “basketball historian,” and he spent time looking at the history behind Jim Boeheim’s program and more specifically, the players who have been in similar positions to him. “He’s had an opportunity to learn what Syracuse basketball history is,” said Camara Mintz, Mintz’s father. Mintz watched clips of Tyler Ennis, Johnny Flynn and Frank Howard. He discovered he had similar traits to them athletically and learned the key to performing at Syracuse — you don’t need the ball to have a presence. “When you look at the great Syracuse guards, they’re complete players,” Eric Devendorf said. “Whenever they stepped up on the floor, they wanted to rip apart whoever was in front of them, whether that was offensively or defensively. They had that dog mentality.” Head coach Jim Boeheim said Mintz is one of the best freshman point guards he’s ever had. He’s been compared to Flynn and Ennis because of his explosiveness and his change of pace, and he’s set to start this season. Symir Torrence said Mintz “is just ready,” as years in the AAU circuit with Team Durant and Oak Hill Academy gave him the skills to add his name to the list of top Syracuse guards. Under Smith, Oak Hill has consistently bred the best high school players in the country. Devendorf played at Oak Hill with Kevin Durant and Ty Lawson in the 2004-05 season. Prior to helping Syracuse win a national championship in 2003, Carmelo Anthony starred under Smith. In Smith’s final season at Oak Hill, he welcomed Mintz after the point guard had spent his last three years at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. Smith said Mintz faced tough competition at Gonzaga, but he wanted to test his skills nationally. Devendorf said players
at Oak Hill are already “prepared for the next level” after a season in the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference. “He definitely has a leg up coming from Oak Hill and being coached by Smith, who’s one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time,” Devendorf said.
When it’s all said and done, Judah Mintz is a tough guy to go up against one-on-one. Gerry McNamara syracuse mens’ assistant basketball coach
Smith would talk through scouting reports the day before each game. Usually, Mintz had already watched tape of the opponent’s best player, knowing their go-to move, what they do in transition and what they do in the halfcourt. If the team had played on ESPN the night before, Mintz recorded the game and studied it. “Other kids wouldn’t do that,” Smith said. “He’s prepared.” As a starter, Mintz will need to be “comfortable with holding guys accountable,” Devendorf said. Though he spent just one season at Oak Hill, Mintz immediately got on his teammates if they messed up working around a screen or in a defensive drill. Smith would blow the whistle to end a drill and Mintz corrected the player before Smith could. He’ll probably do the same at Syracuse, Smith said. Mintz always had length and became more athletic thanks to trainers in middle school, Camara said. Those two skills are crucial for the prototypical Syracuse guard, Boeheim said, but sometimes players with those attributes don’t understand the position. Mintz does. With Oak Hill, Mintz was “smart” about see MINTZ page 14
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According to Sports Illustrated, Syracuse's incoming 2022 class is ranked 14th in the nation. The only ACC teams placed higher are Duke and North Carolina.
CONVERGI NEW FACES
DEFENSIVE DEFICIENCY
Syracuse ranked second-to-last in the ACC last season in points per game allowed, placing in front of only NC State
ANISH VASUDEVAN
THE NEXT CHAPTER ACC RECORD PREDICTION: 9-10 MVP: JUDAH MINTZ X-FACTOR: DEFENSE
Jim Boeheim reminded fans that Syracuse has a lot of work to do in order to become a competing force in the ACC. Buddy Boeheim’s consistency, Cole Swider’s streaky shooting and Jimmy Boeheim’s crafty scoring are gone. The Orange will need to find the players to plug those holes. Benny Williams will have to step up. Judah Mintz, Quadir Copeland, Chris Bell and the rest of Syracuse’s freshman class will need to make an immediate impact. Mintz — the highest recruit from the class — already showed how his offensive creativity at all three levels could be crucial for the offense in Syracuse’s exhibition games. But he also enjoys playing defense, according to his former coaches, which will be even more important for an SU side which was one of the bottom 50 defenses in Division I basketball last year. With Mintz adding to the offense and a solid defense, the ORange could be a mid-tier ACC team.
Out of the Orange’s five leading scorers from last season, only two — Girard III and Edwards — returned to Syracuse entering 2022-23
CONNOR SMITH
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK ACC RECORD PREDICTION: 11-8 MVP: JESSE EDWARDS X-FACTOR: BENNY WILLIAMS
Syracuse only returns two starters coming off the worst season in program history over the last 50 years, but it adds a six-man recruiting class that ranked No. 22 nationally, per 247Sports. SU will likely start at least two freshmen, including Judah Mintz, one of the top point guard recruits in the nation. It’s a unique spot for a Syracuse program that typically relies on older, more experienced players, but the change should lead to a more explosive and fun squad. SU will have to get into conference play with at most a few losses, and also win its game against middle-ofthe-pack ACC teams like Notre Dame and Virginia Tech. The last time the Orange escaped nonconference play with less than three losses was in 2017-18, a year they went to the Sweet 16. Assuming the Orange enter ACC play with only a loss or two, these new freshmen could be leading a NCAA Tournament-bound team, a bounce back after failing to qualify last season.
JOU
ANTHONY ALANDT
‘GOING THROUGH CHANGES’ ACC RECORD PREDICTION: 8-11 MVP: JOE GIRARD X-FACTOR: BENNY WILLIAMS
One of the youngest teams in the ACC begins its first campaign together with one of the oldest coaches in college basketball following his worst season in his career. What a time to tune into the Orange. The 2022-23 season should be an exciting one, as Syracuse welcomes a large, talented class. The question will be if newcomers like Maliq Brown, Judah Mintz and Quadir Copeland can mesh alongside Edwards and Girard. The Orange are loaded with potential and potential playmakers, but it remains to be seen if they’ll all adjust to college basketball. Jim Boeheim pointed out a few teams in the ACC that retained the majority of starters, but he noted that college basketball overall is a younger sport. The Orange will struggle against those more experienced teams and might even make blunders big enough to drop games they have no business losing. But this roster is full of talent and could bring the team toward being — you guessed it — a NCAA Tournament bubble team.
basketball guide 2022 9
ING
U R N EYS
COLE BAMBINI
Syracuse had the worst defense in the ACC last season, allowing a conference-most 74.8 points per game en route to an 11-18 record
DYNAMIC BACKCOURT
PROTECT THE PAINT
Dyaisha Fair and Teisha Hyman make up an exciting Syracuse backcourt. The two combo guards are poised to take the ACC by storm this season.
Syracuse’s top two shot blockers from 202122 — Alaysia Styles and Christianna Carr — both departed prior to this season, with Styles graduating and Carr transferring.
HENRY O’BRIEN
TYLER SCHIFF
PHASE ONE OF MANY
GIVE HER TIME
A TASTE OF WHAT’S TO COME
ACC RECORD PREDICTION: 8-10 MVP: DYAISHA FAIR X-FACTOR: SIZE, FRONTCOURT
ACC RECORD PREDICTION: 7-11 MVP: DYAISHA FAIR X-FACTOR: THE BACKCOURT
ACC RECORD PREDICTION: 6-12 MVP: DYAISHA FAIR X-FACTOR: THE FRONTCOURT
It’s clear last season is behind the window. Syracuse brought in Felisha Legette-Jack, who brought in several transfers to comprise the roster. Only four players from the 2021-22 team remained with the Orange. Legette-Jack acknowledged that it’s going to take time for this team to click. She also guaranteed that one day Syracuse will be cutting down the net with a national title. It all starts with this season. Syracuse has several nonconference games that it can hopefully take care of the majority of. The Orange, similar to last year, should develop a winning record early, but it’s possible that its season trends toward a .500 year in ACC play. Syracuse will have to capitalize on conference opponents at the bottom and win any close games coming down to the wire. Expect this year to be phase one of who knows how many to get the program back to the level it was in 2016, when SU made a national championship game appearance.
Heading into last season, there was plenty of uncertainty on how a team made of mostly new players and an interim head coach would do. The result? A mediocre season that led to more transfers out of the program. At least this year, the Orange’s new head coach has a history of turning around teams. Buffalo went nearly half a century without making the NCAA Tournament until Legette-Jack took over the program. Legette-Jack will be getting some of her top talent from her last year at Buffalo. With the addition of First Team All-MAC guard Dyaisha Fair, the Orange have a solidified starting backcourt as Teisha Hyman returns after averaging 16.2 points per game. While there is solid talent on this team, it won’t be close enough to match up with the likes of ranked ACC contenders like Notre Dame, NC State and Louisville. Legette-Jack’s first season should be a building year with promise, but nothing more than that.
Syracuse finished the 2021-22 season on a six-game losing skid, a 4-14 conference record and a first-round exit in the ACC tournament. Without a pure center, SU’s lack in size and strength allowed easy buckets down low and a plethora of second-chance points for its opponents. Now equipped with four players over six feet on its roster, SU will have a stronger presence in the paint. During its first exhibition game against LeMoyne, the Orange outrebounded the Dolphins 66-39. But missed opportunities around the basket hurt Syracuse from tacking on more points in a tight 73-70 victory. Despite the buzz surrounding a new coaching staff and a promising roster, it will take time for this team to gel. Nonconference games will help SU get into the flow of things but a tough conference schedule might serve as a rude awakening. This season will serve as a rebuild for Legette-Jack and Syracuse, but expect the Orange to deliver plenty of highlight plays and exciting finishes along the way.
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‘AUDIBLE ’ N O T T BU Dyaisha Fair was Felisha Legette-Jack’s top scorer at Buffalo and is slated to become one of the starting guards, impressing all those who have seen her before By Henry O’Brien
asst. sports editor
T
ray Burton went down to Edison Career & Technology High School’s basketball court in 2015 after hearing murmurs about one player. When a student pointed Dyaisha Fair out to him, Burton realized he was standing right next to her. Burton overlooked Fair at first because of her talent because of her 100 lb. weight and slim frame. But after two minutes, Burton realized Fair was better than anyone in that gym. She went after defenders from the boy’s team, constantly driving to the hoop. Once the basketball season came around, Fair immediately started for the Inventors. Fair quickly rose to become Edison Tech’s all-time leading-scorer by her senior season. Even when then-Buffalo head coach Felisha Legette-Jack first met Fair at a camp, she immediately knew of her talents. “She’s like that audible button in a video game,” Burton said. “If you want her to be a scoring guard, she’ll be a scoring guard. If you want her to be a passing guard, she’ll be a passing guard.” At Buffalo, Fair cemented herself as the leading scorer in three of her seasons with the Bulls before announcing her decision to transfer to Syracuse last April. This mix of talent and confidence, which people instantly noticed, helped her become one of the Orange’s starting guards and a captain. Before she got to Syracuse or Buffalo,
though, Fair held these qualities back, especially as a high schooler at Rochester. In his third period gym class, Edison Tech head coach Jack Palmeri remembers Fair dominating everyone. Fair told Palmeri she would be the best player he has ever seen. Palmeri responded, “Yeah, whatever.” “I came down, checked her out. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Palmeri said. Fair averaged 60 points per game in middle school, Palmeri said. But she never learned how to play with teammates as she often scored the majority of the points herself.
She had never learned how to play with kids and not to take on all their responsibilities. Jack Palmeri edison tech head coach
“She had never learned how to play with kids and not to take on all their responsibilities,” Palmeri said. Fair learned how to play with her four other teammates by interacting with Palmeri off the court. Fair would visit Palmeri’s classroom and talk for hours. Fair had a lot in common with Palmeri, such as their initial introvertedness, he said. To many,
basketball guide 2022 11
BUCKET GETTER
REBOUNDING GUARD
Dyaisha Fair recorded more than 20 points per game in all three seasons she played at Buffalo
Even as a 5-foot-5 guard, Dyaisha Fair led Buffalo in rebounding in 2020-21, grabbing six boards per game
source: espn.com
source: ubbulls.com
Fair would keep to herself. But once Palmeri started to get to know her, he realized she could be more open. “I get that sometimes if I don’t smile, I may seem a little unapproachable or intimidating,” Fair said. “But if you speak to me or we have a conversation, you’ll get one.” As a senior, Fair and the Inventors were dominating rival Wilson Magnet in the opening round of the 2019 Section V Class AA tournament. Fair finished with 32 points, four less than the Wilson Magnet’s total. In the second half, Fair became much more of a distributor, consistently passing the ball to her teammates. Fair made two quick cuts up the left side of the court before chucking a long pass to the bottom left corner, where her teammate received the one-handed pass to score on a layup in the 80-36 victory. But Fair could also display that initial confidence she showed Palmeri. Fair recorded 40 and 50-point games on multiple occasions, eventually setting Edison’s career points record. The coaches played a game called “Noodles” with Fair. They said noodles during a game, and Fair had to make opposing guards’ legs “look like noodles,” blowing past and disorienting them. Once games became blowouts, Fair took part in a “game within the game,” Burton said. The assistant coach said Fair would drive around 25 times, then she would have to shoot from outside of the arc. Fair would pull up — and make the shot — from 30 feet and half-court as well. While Fair’s AAU coach, Terry Nowden told her not to take long 30-footers, he was astounded by the level of conviction
she would play with. In a tournament in Atlanta, Nowden’s team trailed by a possession in overtime. In a timeout, Fair guaranteed they were going to run a pick-and-roll and that she was going to pass to her teammate for the layup and a foul. The play happened exactly as Fair envisioned it would — sending the game to double overtime. Burton, who grew up playing in the Bronx and Queens, competing against the likes of Stephon Marbury and Rafer Alston, said Fair reminded him of guards back home. Hsees upstate New York players as more aggressive with lateral movement while players from New York City would rather dodge and not get touched in the lane. Fair’s a mix of two, Burton said, and Legette-Jack acknowledged that importance. “Dyaisha is hard to guard. Somebody that you can’t really stop what their move is,” Legette-Jack said. “Her move is her story. Her move is what she’s trying to display, about where she is coming from.” Fair used these moves as part of the Inventors’ offense, which Burton said featured many motions and downscreens. But Fair grasped onto these concepts quicker than her teammates, forcing Burton to practice with her one-on-one with pick-up games and advanced dribbling drills. Burton also had a drill called “21,” where two shooters took part in a shooting contest. A 3-pointer was worth two points and a rebound with a subsequent layup was worth three points. The first person to reach 21 won, and Fair beat Burton multiple times. Despite her skills, colleges still didn’t notice Fair. Palmeri sent tapes to colleges, including Syracuse and Buffalo. Palmeri
also got Fair signed up for a camp with Legette-Jack at Buffalo, where the thenBulls head coach recognized her abilities. Burton said Fair wanted to go to Buffalo after watching the Bulls point guard at the time, Cierra Dillard, who was in the midst of an all-conference season before she was drafted by the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx. When Fair watched her play, she instantly thought she was better than Dillard. Over her time at Buffalo, Nowden said he would tell Fair to apply more pressure on the ball, and the guard did exactly
that, eventually leading to Fair becoming the Bulls’ rebounding leader in the 2020-21 season. Nowden still plans to text Fair while she plays at SU “here and there.” He still wants to help Fair reach that goal she set when she first saw Dillard play for Buffalo. “I remember her telling me, ‘I’m gonna be having this WNBA watch party one day,’” Nowden said. “‘I’m gonna be better than that.’” henrywobrien1123@gmail.com @realhenryobrien
DYAISHA FAIR led Buffalo in scoring for three straight seasons. Now, she’ll look to do the same for the Orange. arnav pokhrel contributing photographer
12 basketball guide 2022
3RD TIME’S THE CHARM Felisha Legette-Jack recruited Olivia Owens three different times. She was told no twice before successfully landing Owens in the transfer portal the third time. By Cole Bambini
asst. sports editor
F
elisha Legette-Jack originally recruited Olivia Owens twice — once out of high school and again after Owens entered the transfer portal from Maryland. Owens declined the
offer both times. “I don’t take no lightly, can you tell?,” said Legette-Jack, who was Buffalo’s head coach at the time. “There’s some people you just know that belong with you. You don’t know if it’s (going to) ever happen, but you just kinda want it.” But over the offseason, Legette-Jack convinced Owens to transfer to Syracuse with two years of eligibility remaining. Owens spent her fi rst two seasons at Maryland and the last two seasons at Kentucky. She was the fi rst non-Buff alo transfer to play for Legette-Jack. Owens, a 6-foot-4 fi fth-year forward, brings her strength, size and experience as a post player to a Syracuse roster with only four returners. “(Owens) is an experienced player coming from the SEC, where in my opinion, they’re big oriented,” guard Teisha Hyman said “When she (is) on the court, she competes. She (doesn’t) lose no fights.” Owens received her fi rst-ever interest letter from Gardner-Webb University the summer after seventh grade, and a year later, she received one from Maryland. In the summer after her freshman year, former Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman gave Owens her fi rst offer ever. But Owens didn’t accept it immediately.
“I was young,” Owens said. “I didn’t know, really, what opportunities could be afforded to me when it came to basketball.” After spending her freshman season at the Academy of the Holy Names in Albany, Owens played for Niskayuna High School under head coach Sarah Neely for her final three years. When Owens returned her sophomore
It was already getting crazy. She was just getting looks from everybody. Sarah Neely niskayuna high school head coach
year from Holy Names, programs across the country were already looking at her, Neely said. It seemed that at “every single’’ practice and game, there were high-profile coaches sitting in the gym to scout Owens, Neely said. “It was already getting crazy,” Neely said. “She was just getting looks from everybody and from big time Division-I schools across the board.” The Owens family eventually ran out of spots for home visits, Owens’ mother, Vanessa, said. Notre Dame’s Muffet McGraw and Rutgers’ C. Vivian Stringer visited Owens in the gym, too. In her junior year, she put up a conferencerecord 42 points. Teams forced her to get out of the post and paint, forcing her to develop an see OWENS page 15
basketball guide 2022 13
FAMILY AFFAIR
Lexi McNabb is the daughter of legendary Syracuse quarterback Donovan McNabb and women’s basketball point guard Roxi McNabb. But she comes to SU to forge her own path. By Tyler Schiff
asst. sports digital editor
L
exi McNabb had the confidence and skill to shoot anywhere around the perimeter, at least according to Karen Self, her high school coach. When McNabb and Seton Catholic Preparatory played in the Arizona Class 4A girls’ basketball state championship, Self saw her faith in the guard pay off.
Yes, my last name is McNabb and that means so much. But it’s time to tell my story and that’s what I plan to do. Lexi McNabb syracuse womens’ basketball guard
In her final year playing under Self, Seton Catholic defeated Salpointe Catholic 70-62 to win its second consecutive state title. McNabb ended the game with 21 points, scoring three 3-pointers in the first half and finishing a perfect 5/5 from range. “I had a lot of confidence in Lexi so if she put the ball up I would just assume it was going in,” Self said. McNabb always adapted and showed an ability to be flexible on the court, whether it
was playing for Self at Seton Catholic or for her uncle, Richard Nurse, at Lincoln Prep High School her senior year. At Syracuse, her goal is to hold her own legacy, independent of her family name. McNabb’s father, Donovan, was a four-year starting quarterback for SU, finishing as a Heisman Trophy candidate in 1998. He also played basketball under Jim Boeheim for two seasons as a guard. McNabb’s mother, Roxi, was a fouryear starter at point guard for the women’s basketball team, ranking fourth in steals and fifth in assists at SU all-time. When McNabb committed to play for Syracuse head coach Felisha Legette-Jack at Buffalo, it came out of a desire to forge her own path. But once Legette-Jack came to Syracuse, McNabb followed. “Yes, my last name is McNabb and that means so much,” McNabb said. “But it’s time to tell my story and that’s what I plan to do.” McNabb still decided on basketball, learning the game, primarily, from her mother. At times, she’d model her game after her cousin, Kia Nurse, during her playing days at UConn. At Seton Catholic, Self saw the McNabb’s as just another family. Self remembered she had to tell Donovan to shut up on the sideline and stop trying to coach McNabb. “I never felt like there was this star power or her last name being more important than anything else. She was very much herself and unique in her own way,” Self said. Throughout high school, McNabb played a versatile role. Self said McNabb could drive to the hoop, handle the ball and run the offense. A player that contributed to the team’s success defensively with a very high basketball IQ, McNabb’s selflessness and ability to share the ball made her a true floor general. When McNabb arrived at Seton Catholic, see MCNABB page 15
14 basketball guide 2022
from page 4
EDWARDS one, 12-second drill. He’d send three players under the basket, and throw a ball into the paint. The player that moved toward the ball is a forward, and the one that turned around and knocked the other guy before running to the ball is the center. Bouie wanted Edwards to understand centers seek contact. Kai said he’s noticed Edwards using his body better, especially when it comes to sealing off defenders inside. It’s something he needed to do playing for the Netherlands in Eurobasket, which featured NBA centers Nikola Jokić and Jonas Valančiūnas. Edwards said almost every team in the tournament had several current or former from page 6
GIRARD shot from his legs more. SU head coach Jim Boeheim approached Girard with the idea of moving him to shooting guard at the end of the 2021-22 season. The addition of Mintz and losses of Cole Swider and Buddy Boeheim made it obvious to Girard. In previous years, he’d work in as the two-guard when starters came out. Boeheim said he believed Girard was one of the better point guards in the conference. He did what the good point guards do: moved the ball to Syracuse’s high-level shooters. “I think it’s better for him and our team overall that he’s at the two,” Boeheim said. Girard said he’s looking forward to honfrom page 7
MINTZ changing his playing style depending on the opponent or how his teammates were playing. Against Gonzaga last year, Smith said he thought Mintz would want to score as much as possible after Gonzaga’s players tried to get into his head. But he stayed focused on getting his teammates more opportunities, finishing with four assists. Smith said Mintz’s “coming out party” came in the City of Palms Classic Basketball Tournament against IMG and Monteverde. Mintz
NBA players. He notched 12 points and nine rebounds against the Czech Republic, and scored over Jokić when playing Serbia. “It shows you what is top of the top,” Edwards said. “There’s nobody better than that. So it gives a lot of confidence knowing that if you can do it there, you can do it anywhere.” Opponents in Eurobasket didn’t expect Edwards to have a quality midrange shot, Kai said. They gave him space, but he knocked down the open jumpers. It’s a dimension of Edwards’ game that hasn’t been featured much in his first three years at SU, but could become a larger piece. This summer was “the biggest jump” Edwards has ever made, Kai said. Griffin said to Edwards that he needs to shoot in the high 50% range around the bas-
ket while also rebounding and protecting the rim. Having a scoring center gives other players more freedom, creating defensive challenges, Griffin noted. Opposing centers have to choose between stepping up and stopping the driver — giving Edwards an easy dunk — or staying back and allowing the jump shot. “That’s what we dreamed of all those years coming in,” Kai said. “When he wasn’t playing, they were always saying, ‘your time will come where you will be this guy in a couple of years, just keep working.’ But it always seemed kind of far away. For it to be that time, that’s just what he’s been working for all those years.” Over the summer, Kai flew into Toronto to visit Edwards. After picking up Kai, Edwards called Bouie, who was on his way
to Syracuse. They met for lunch at a Cracker Barrel. Bouie looked at Kai, who had added 15 pounds of muscle. In his head, he thought, “that’s going to be Jesse in a couple years.” Having that size plus the existing skill set will make Edwards a “beast,” Bouie said. Bouie has believed in Edwards since first watching him in Italy. But he tells Edwards not to be satisfied with where he is. There’s always that next step. Edwards has gone from being that raw, skinny prospect to a critical piece of Syracuse’s team. He’s been waiting three seasons to be the guy. It’s finally here. “This provides an invaluable weapon,” Thomas said. “I just want to see it utilized.”
ing his off-ball skills to get open and score. Girard’s cousin and former teammate, Cam Girard, said not having the ball every time will allow Girard to “breathe a little more.” There will be fewer moments of Girard getting full-court pressed, having to haphazardly bring the ball up, which Girard’s first cousin Quinn Girard said led to shortsightedness and turnovers. Boeheim projected Girard would average 20 points per game for the Orange. “He’s a scorer. That’s what he is, that’s what he was,” Boeheim said. Gerry McNamara said Girard is probably looking forward to the relief of using down screens. The shooting guard gives Syracuse the ability to stretch the court, and because Girard stretches his shot out to 28 feet, he’s
a threat to shoot from well beyond the arc. Syracuse’s offense can create straight-line drives off pump fakes, McNamara said, which creates 4-on-3s and 5-on-4s. “Being a relentless mover, his range is so deep, he can extend the court so far,” McNamara said. “He’s been like an animal off the basketball this summer, it’s nonstop movement.” Quinn thinks Girard is a natural two. He can move to either side with ease, take two dribbles and pull up with enough space from the foul line or go for the hoop. In high school, either he or his cousin, Trent Girard, brought the ball up. Rob said Girard sometimes moved to the wing, creating so much space off of movement that he could help Glens Falls storm back in a late win.
They’d usually draw up a triple screen that would end with Girard wide open. Even when teams would play a high 3-2 zone defense, Glens Falls ran a double screen and “let (Girard) create from there,” Cam said. Over the summer, Girard got his first taste at shooting guard, his first brushes with having plays set up for him to score. He worked with John Bol Ajak and Jesse Edwards on down screens throughout the season, making himself a potent offensive threat. “If he can get up and down the floor, especially with not having to hang on to the ball, he can really leak out a little bit and get himself set up for some 3s and some easy buckets that will get him going,” Cam said.
scored at all three levels to command the Warriors past IMG with 19 points in the semifinals. “If Judah didn’t have a good game, we couldn’t beat the good teams in the country,” Smith said. In the finals, against Monteverde, who beat Oak Hill by 25 points earlier in the season, Mintz finished with 22 in the Warriors’ five-point loss. “When it’s all said and done, Judah Mintz is a tough guy to go up against one-on-one,” assistant coach Gerry McNamara said. Smith also said Mintz could guard four positions. He uses his long arms and
keen anticipation to his advantage against smaller players, Smith said. Boeheim said Mintz’s assets will be helpful for man-toman defense, but McNamara added he can be crucial at the top of the zone. At Team Durant under head coach Osman Bangura, Mintz used zig-zag drills, where cones are spread diagonally to help learn how to shift side-to-side in a defensive stance, to improve his lateral movement and move his hips without fouling. “If you watch him, he tends to impose his will on a lot of offensive players,” Bangura said. “As a coach, that’s what you want from your guards, to make the other guards very uncomfortable. Not a lot of guys want Judah Mintz guarding him.” Team Durant gave Mintz the freedom to stay aggressive and make mistakes, Bangura added. Mintz would be aggressive straight from the tip, once stealing the ball off the tip, scoring a layup and then playing press defense. Mintz dictates what happens, a skill which players like Pearl Washington, Sherman Douglas, Flynn and Michael CarterWilliams all had. “Whenever they stepped up on the floor, they wanted to rip apart whoever was in front of them, whether that was offensively or defensively,” Devendorf said. The biggest help Oak Hill and Team Durant has given Mintz is the ability to play under pressure, Camara said. McNamara and Syracuse’s coaching staff saw Mintz on the summer circuit this past offseason against “incredible talent.”
“We knew that he was of that caliber,” McNamara said. When Mintz first visited Syracuse, Devendorf met him at the facility. He reminded Mintz that Boeheim will give him the freedom to make mistakes, but he’s more interested in how Mintz would bounce back. In the Orange’s exhibition matchup against the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Mintz missed his first two shots, slapping his hands together in frustration after each one. Then, he was called for an offensive foul after kicking a defender on a pull-up. He also turned the ball over trying to drive inside the lane. Mintz stayed relentless — a word permanently etched onto his right forearm — maneuvering his way into space again in the final minute of the half. He contorted his body from midrange, letting his right leg flail forward as the ball dropped into the basket. Mintz finished the game with 14 points and two steals. McNamara said Mintz’s experience early in the season will bring him to the next level. Mintz said McNamara is one of the most active coaches he’s played for — the two often spend practices reviewing pick-androll packages and film together. Now it’s about putting in the work, McNamara said, which Mintz has done, continuing to get the after-practice work, which he’s done, and perfecting his shot, which he’s working on. “Now, let’s just go and put it into action,” McNamara said.
JUDAH MINTZ’S time with Oak Hill Academy and Team Durant on the AAU circuit has prepared him for Syracuse. arthur maiorella staff photographer
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basketball guide 2022 15 from page 12
owens outside shot, which opposing teams “weren’t expecting,” Neely said. While at Niskayuna, Owens simultaneously played for her AAU program, City Rocks Albany. Her City Rocks coach, Keith Danzy, saw Owens for the first time when she was in sixth grade and her then 5-foot-11 frame. Danzy realized Owens “needed” to be a part of City Rocks. “AAU was really where I really learned how to really be a basketball player,” Owens said. Owens said her older brother and nephews had played in the AAU circuit and she’d watch them play. But prior to basketball, Owens was a cheerleader, and was self-conscious about always being the tallest girl. Vanessa said she didn’t even want to play basketball. She would only play if the uniform had to be pink, from the headband to the sneakers. Once a coach met those conditions, Owens played basketball in sixth grade for a local community team in Albany in her all-pink attire. “She started playing and loved the sport,” Vanessa said. “And it just grew from there.” Owens wanted to switch to City Rocks, but had to wait until she was old enough. Danzy guaranteed that UConn head coach Geno Auriemma would come to her “door” one day. And on her birthday, Auriemma showed up to Niskayuna for a game to scout her. Owens eventually switched over to City Rocks. And in seventh grade, Owens was already playing for the program’s 17U team. She started on the bench. By eighth and ninth grade, Vanessa said, Owens was running the floor. After a “breakout season” in her junior year and receiving 26 scholarship offers — including UConn and Stanford — Owens chose Maryland. She knew she wanted to get out of New York and liked the D.C area because she had an interest in criminal justice. In her freshman season, she averaged 4.4 minutes, 1.5 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. She grabbed four points and four rebounds in six minutes in the 2019 Big Ten Championship. But by the time she arrived at Maryland, two of the coaches she had been recruited by at UMD had left. It was from page 13
mcnabb Self thought the season would’ve been nothing more than a rebuild. But within a year, the Sentinels were in the finals. The very next season, Seton Catholic returned to the final, facing off against the 2021 Arizona Female Athlete of the Year Alyssa Brown and Sahuaro High School. The game was close early on as Sahuaro ran a 1-2-2 zone, positioning Brown’s six-footframe at the top. But once McNabb’s shot started falling, it wasn’t close anymore. McNabb made a couple of threes, forcing Sahuaro and Brown to change their zone. Disfigured and too far-extended, the floor opened up for Seton Catholic and the offense started flowing. The Sentinels went on to blowout Sahuaro 70-40.
difficult to adjust, Owens said. She played in just one game the next year and took a medical redshirt year because she was battling mononucleosis. After the NCAA granted an additional year for COVID-19 and her medical redshirt Owens had two years of eligibility at Syracuse. When Owens entered the transfer portal following her sophomore year,
Owens as former Wildcat head coach Matthew Mitchell, who recruited her, got a head injury and couldn’t coach. Owens entered the transfer portal again, one day after Legette-Jack was introduced as SU’s head coach. Owens said LegetteJack called her while the coach was on a plane somewhere and Legette-Jack invited Owens to come visit Syracuse.
“premier” program in an opportunity to rebuild played a factor, too. “It was almost like a no-brainer,” Vanessa said. “(Syracuse) checked everything off the list.” Owens comes to Syracuse as one of the most experienced players. Freshman Kennedi Perkins always lets Owens know that she’s the oldest player on the team.
OLIVIA OWENS will headline a Syracuse front court that hopes to shock the ACC after stints in the Big Ten and the SEC. She’s the tallest player on the Orange’s roster right now, currently listed at 6-foot-4. arnav pokhrel contributing photographer
Legette-Jack tried to recruit her for the second time, conducting three-way calls with Owens and those connected with her. But Owens chose Kentucky, mostly because of the opportunity to be a post player in the SEC, Vanessa said. Owens saw improved numbers at Kentucky, averaging 3.7 points through 53 games for the Wildcats. But it was tough for
“This time around, you had the block ‘S’ on your chest and a law school that’s pretty cool. If you say no now, it’s personal,” Legette-Jack joked. On April 15, Owens committed to Syracuse just a week after she visited the school. Owens said she knew she wanted to come back closer to home. Vanessa said that the opportunity to play for a
Owens said her experiences in multiple Power Five programs have been different, mostly in terms of playing style. She’ll likely fill in the forward/center spot in the post, something that the program didn’t have last year. “She (was) definitely worth the wait three times,” Legette-Jack said.
McNabb transferred across the border to Lincoln Prep Basketball in Hamilton, Ontario for her senior season to play under Nurse, the head coach at Lincoln Prep. The private school prioritized going up against other Canadian basketball academies. “You come to a league with the top competition and you have to play that top competition every day every night in the league. It got her better, it got her smarter,” Nurse said. As soon as she arrived, Nurse and lead assistant coach, Gina Steinauer, saw a stable point guard they could rely on. McNabb recalled it would take some time for her to catch up on film and learn plays, but she slotted right in as the starting point guard. McNabb went on to average 10.2 points per game as a team captain.
“She sees the floor really well, she understands what’s going on, and she can look at what the defense is in,” Steinauer said. “She can even let us coaches know what’s happening really quickly.” Steinauer said McNabb constantly brought defensive intensity at point guard. Going up against the combination of Dyaisha Fair and Teisha Hyman at Syracuse, McNabb has held her own. Nurse said McNabb will “surprise” many people and she will fit into Legette-Jack’s system well. Arriving at SU, one of the first people McNabb met was her roommate, Kyra Wood. Wood, a sophomore transfer from Temple, said she had arrived a week prior to McNabb and so staying in their shared room by herself got lonely. As soon as McNabb walked in, the two hit it off and “talked for hours.”
“She always wants to laugh, always wants to dance,” Wood said. “She’s just friendly. We have a cool connection.” Hyman believes McNabb has all the tools to be successful technically. She believes the more confidence McNabb has, the more the Syracuse crowd will see how talented she is. Legette-Jack reiterated McNabb has to play the same no matter if her shot falls or not. McNabb understands who she should model her game after if she wants more playing time. Nurse said if McNabb and Roxi played one-on-one today, the younger McNabb would get a surprise elbow here and there. “If that means I have to be like my mom and throw myself across the gym, then that’s what I gotta do,” McNabb said.
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