When Keith Cieplicki left Vermont in April to become the head coach of the Syracuse women’s basketball team, the biggest shockwave of all may have been felt in Adrian, Mich.

That was where one of Cieplicki’s UVM recruits and current Syracuse freshman, Lauren Kohn, was finishing up a stellar high school career in both basketball and volleyball. Cieplicki recruited and signed Kohn to play for the Catamounts, and the 5-foot-10 high school senior was all set for the fall move to Burlington, Vt.

Kohn eventually chose to follow Cieplicki to SU and will have a chance to showcase her skills over Winter Break as the Orangewomen take on six different opponents. The first game is this Sunday at 12 p.m. against Yale at Manley Field House. But after that home contest, the Orangewomen are on the road for four straight games, traveling to Cornell, Colorado, Vanderbilt and Pittsburgh.

SU finally returns home Jan. 10 to play St. John’s in its second straight Big East contest.

If it weren’t for some offseason dealings, the Orangewomen wouldn’t have Kohn.

In late April, when Cieplicki delivered the news to his family and colleagues in Vermont, Kohn was left to wonder what to do about her future while still in Michigan.

‘I was shocked,’ Kohn said of the news she personally received from Cieplicki. ‘I was very upset. I just didn’t know what to think.’

Said Cieplicki: ‘I think it was a shock that we left Vermont. When you have your mind made up on a school, it’s tough. But (Lauren’s) very flexible and open-minded.’

At that point, Kohn went back and considered her list of colleges once again. Some schools closer to her home appealed, but overall she had about 10 schools that she considered if she wanted to abandon UVM as her choice.

But Cieplicki also offered a different idea.

‘I spoke to Keith and he told me that if I came here,’ Kohn said, ‘I would have a good shot at getting on the team and I might want to try that.’

So Kohn narrowed down her list of choices again.

Eventually, after getting into Syracuse, she decided that it was the right fit in large part because it had its own law school. The combination of that and Cieplicki was enough for Kohn to take the risk of coming to a bigger basketball school and playing in the Big East.

In mid-September, Kohn was officially announced as the latest addition to the SU roster and the lone Cieplicki recruit to this year’s Orangewomen squad.

After six games, the last three of which Kohn has started, the decision to switch schools is looking bright for the freshman who is third on the team in scoring at 8.4 points per game.

‘I’m extremely excited,’ Kohn said. ‘I wanted the challenge and to see if I had what it takes to play in the best conference in the country. I’m happy with my decision.’

Kohn’s play thus far has nobody doubting her ability to compete in a top-notch conference. She’s especially been a strong fit in Cieplicki’s perimeter-shooting offense. Kohn scored 11 points, including three 3-pointers, in Syracuse’s 60-46 victory over Navy on Sunday in the final game of the Rainbow Wahine Classic in Hawaii.

Against Hawaii on Saturday in the same tournament, Kohn had 13 points to go along with five rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal in 33 minutes. All of that happened while Kohn was battling an illness.

‘Quite frankly, she can’t play much better,’ Cieplicki said. ‘She’s making big shots and rebounding. She showed a lot of courage this past weekend playing sick.’

Junior Chineze Nwagbo said she wasn’t surprised with how well Kohn has played.

‘She’s definitely been a key player,’ Nwagbo said. ‘Everybody has something good about their game at this level. Everyone has those key attributes and if they come to play everyday, people will eventually see them.’

Said senior guard Julie McBride: ‘She’s played well and she’s been hitting some big shots.’

Even Kohn, though, has been surprised with how well she’s played, especially since it’s garnered her a starting spot in the rotation so quickly in the season.

‘I feel like I’m playing better than I thought I would be,’ Kohn said. ‘In the tournament, it was better rebounding. In scoring, I didn’t think I’d be in double digits.’

Published on December 4, 2003 at 12:00 pm