Syracuse women’s basketball head coach Marianna Freeman didn’t expect big numbers from freshman center Jill Norton.

Problem is, Freeman didn’t expect Norton would be starting either.

But Norton, who averages 1.6 points and 1.6 rebounds, has started at center in 14 of Syracuse’s 17 games. She will start again when SU visits Miami (12-4, 4-1 Big East) on Saturday at 7 p.m. Freshman Tierra Jackson, SU’s current No. 2 center, will also see time.

“It hurts,” Freeman said, “because psychologically for (Norton and Jackson), there are a lot of things that they’re not doing right that (the coaches have to correct) all the time.”

Insignificant contributions from the center position have plagued Syracuse (6-11, 1-5) all season. Jackson averages 7.9 points and 5.1 boards, but she’s been so unreliable at the back of SU’s 2-3 zone defense that Norton and her anemic offensive totals are Freeman’s best option.

Still, the Orangewomen’s troubles in the pivot run much deeper than Norton and Jackson, who for several unavoidable reasons were thrust into sharing center duties.

Coming into this season, the duo was expected to have a minimal role. They would keep the center position warm for Chineze Nwagbo — out with a torn right anterior cruciate ligament suffered in last season’s Big East tournament — until her expected return in mid-December.

If Nwagbo’s recovery was delayed, Plan B was 6-foot-4 Awa Diop, the nation’s No. 1 junior-college center a year ago. SU had yet another option in Maja Omanovic, a natural power forward who proved a capable center last season.

But the Orangewomen’s plan for their centers fell apart brick by brick, like the Berlin Wall being torn down.

Nwagbo rehabbed unsuccessfully and was redshirted.

Diop started the season with a four-game suspension for playing in a French club league and then missed practice after fainting. She averages 1.7 points and 1.1 rebounds in 9.3 minutes.

Omanovic started playing like a power forward and hasn’t seen the floor in five games.

‘I expected Chineze Nwagbo to be able to get back, so (Jackson and Norton would) have a role model, and they haven’t,’ Freeman said. ‘Quite honestly, T.J. and Jill could use a year being behind someone and learning. But unfortunately for us, we have to throw them out there.

“The success is so irregular for them. If they had someone to play behind, I could put them in situations where I can assure that they’re going to have some success.’

The baptism by fire has led to frustration for Norton.

‘It’s hard coming in from high school and being the star and getting all the attention,’ Norton said. ‘I have great players surrounding me. I feel like I could have been doing more. I still could be doing more to help the team than what I’ve shown so far.’

The rocky transition caused Norton to be unsure of herself on the court. Offensively, she virtually renders the Orangewomen at a 4-on-5 disadvantage.

‘I’m not shooting the ball a lot,” Norton said. “I’ve taken like two or three shots a game at the most. I really need to start coming in and being more confident.’

For help with scoring, Norton could consult Jackson. The 6-foot freshman has a strong post game to go with a soft touch from 15 feet. Unfortunately for Syracuse, she has yet to grasp her role in the 2-3 zone.

‘If I could combine them,’ Freeman said, ‘we would have a great player.’

On Saturday, Norton and Jackson will try to combine forces against a great player. Hurricane center Tamara James averages 24 points and 9.2 rebounds. At Manley Field House on Jan. 8, James scored 30 and hauled down 10 rebounds.

For Syracuse’s young centers to succeed against James and the rest of the Big East, they need a fresh set of standards to replace old expectations.

‘I didn’t expect (to start) coming in,’ Norton said. ‘It’s an honor to have that spot. I have to start proving that I deserve it.’

Published on January 22, 2003 at 12:00 pm