Syracuse sophomore Sara Antolick has been sidelined with a knee injury since the season began, but she could just as well be another assistant coach on the bench this weekend when Syracuse (1-1) travels to Antolick’s hometown of Bethlehem, Pa., to take on Lehigh (1-1).

Many of Antolick’s friends and family members will be in attendance to watch SU take on several of Antolick’s former high school adversaries, when the Mountain Hawks host the Orange in Stabler Arena at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

The 6-foot-3 forward is one of five Orange players who have sat out since the season’s start due to injury. The lack of scholarship players has forced the Orange to bring three walk-ons onto the team. In Wednesday’s win over Cornell, all five SU starters were on the court for more than 25 minutes.

It will be a bittersweet homecoming for Antolick. Schedule-makers occasionally arrange non-conference road trips to a current player’s hometown as a gesture to show gratitude for a player. Antolick, who said she was recruited by Lehigh but did not attend because she wanted to live somewhere new, acknowledged this outing might have been scheduled for her.

‘It’s kind of a disappointment, but the girls are going to play hard,’ she said. ‘I’m just going to root for them the best I can.’

Nevertheless, Antolick displayed excitement for her visit home. Before Monday’s practice, she had been on the phone with one of her two older sisters, Alyssa, who plays basketball for East Stroudsburg (Pa.) University. Antolick said her sister has made plans to attend Sunday’s game and the two talked about how enthused they were to see each other during the school year.

Antolick sees this weekend as her Thanksgiving break. Basketball obligations will keep her on the road for the holiday, but along with her sister, other family members and friends will make the most of the game’s location and visit Lehigh.

Those who know Antolick have bought Syracuse T-shirts for the game as they plan to help Antolick cheer on her teammates against the Orange’s Patriot League opponent.

Syracuse’s head coach Quentin Hillsman said the team has special plans for Antolick’s parents Ed and Dottie and sisters.

‘We’re going to (try to) eat dinner with her family,’ Hillsman said. ‘As far as on the floor right now, she’s still going to be out. There’s not so much we can do. But we’re going to definitely invite her family. We’re going to sit down and have her family come out and hang out with us.’

Hillsman said he wished it was possible for her to play a portion of the game, but added he was happy to be taking her back home.

Mike Kopp, the head coach at Allentown Central Catholic (Pa.) High School, will be anticipating his former star’s return.

Antolick and teammate Courtney Molinaro, who is now a sophomore at Penn State, led Central Catholic to state championships her junior and senior year. Antolick said she hung out with Molinaro after the Syracuse battled the Lady Lions in Happy Valley last week. Kopp, although disappointed about not having the chance to watch Antolick play, said he plans to attend the game and chat with the former ‘Allentown Morning Call’ player of the year.

‘She definitely was one of the best players we’ve ever had here,’ Kopp said. ‘She was an athletic kid – just her strength and her heart and just her general ability for a girl her size.’

The Orange, which plays five of its next six games away from the Carrier Dome, could have benefited from Antolick’s familiarity with the players she grew up competing against in Bethlehem. But for now her Syracuse teammates and coaches have found other ways to take advantage of their hobbled forward’s Bethlehem expertise.

‘(The team) asked me what restaurants we should go to for team meals,’ Antolick said. ‘There’s a place called Gregory’s. It’s right by the hotel. It’s really, really good. It’s one of my favorite places.’

Published on November 15, 2006 at 12:00 pm