Sophomore Jill Norton searched for a fault in new Syracuse head coach Keith Cieplicki. Norton paused for a few seconds, then finally settled on the only thing that came to mind – his jokes.

For Norton, it’s simply a glowing remark as to how highly she and the rest of the women’s basketball team think of their new coach.

‘The jokes are a little corny,’ Norton said. ‘But other than that, it’s been a really great experience so far.’

Cieplicki’s enthusiasm and energy has the Orangewomen excited about Saturday’s first exhibition against Team Concept at 7 p.m. at Manley Field House.

‘He’s so enthusiastic,’ Norton said. ‘He comes every day even if he doesn’t like it in the mornings, and he’s ready to go. And he really encourages everybody and teaches. He’s such a teacher and he really breaks it down. He’s just so smart that you have to give him a lot of respect.’

Said sophomore forward Tierra Jackson: ‘The biggest positive is his energy. He’s always positive on the court, always talking to us, always encouraging us.’

Jackson couldn’t even find a fault in her new coach.

‘It’s just a lot of positives,’ she said. ‘He wants perfection. Sometimes it gets frustrating, but in the long run, it’s good for us. And sometimes you get mad or frustrated, but you keep going at it, and the end result is always good.’

Starting five

Cieplicki has made it clear early this season that he likes to tinker with his lineup. Problem is, he doesn’t even have a lineup with which to tinker. Yet, he plans on drawing one up today.

Senior Julie McBride, junior Rochelle Coleman and Norton should be in the starting lineup after starting most of the season together last year.

‘It’s nice because I think there’s a lot of flexibility in terms of who can go in,’ Cieplicki said.

McBride and Coleman started every game last year while Norton started 22 times.

Missing in action

Two returning starters, seniors Shannon Perry and April Jean, are both academically ineligible for the fall semester and won’t play at least until next semester. Jean, a forward, averaged 10.2 points last year. Perry was last year’s leading scorer with 15.8 points per game and also added 10.4 rebounds.

Jean has been working out and practicing with the team, but Cieplicki said Perry may never return.

Junior Chineze Nwagbo will likely replace one of the two in the starting lineup. She returns after sitting out all of last year after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament in the 2002 Big East Tournament.

Another second time around

For the second year in a row, McBride was named to the preseason All-Big East Second Team. She finished last season on the All-Big East Second Team, as well.

McBride is on pace to break several SU records. She’s No. 10 on the Syracuse all-time scoring list with 1,164 points and third all-time with 460 assists. McBride could become Syracuse’s all-time leader in both points and assists by the end of the year.

‘Julie’s great,’ Norton said. ‘She’s such a leader and she gives 100 percent in everything. It’s just great to have someone like her behind you and leading the team, because you know you have a lot of faith and trust in her.’

This season should be an adjustment for McBride. She’ll be dealing with an entirely new offense – one that doesn’t favor the up-and-down tempo she’s accustomed to. Cieplicki admits that he’s been tough on her, but so far, he’s happy with the way she’s adjusted. He was especially pleased considering McBride has played in the same system for the past three years.

‘I think that she’s a special player because she can do so many things,’ Cieplicki said. ‘She probably has the biggest adjustment of all being the point guard. I’ve definitely coached her a lot in three weeks. I really think she is beginning to understand how we want the flow of the game to go and when to do certain things.’

The records are not something Cieplicki or McBride are concerned with.

‘There’s one record we’re worried about,’ Cieplicki said, ‘and we’re 0-0. But that’s why I like her and that’s why she’ll be a good leader.’

This and That

SU has abandoned its 2-3 zone in favor of a tight man-to-man defense. … Syracuse is working on a ball control offense instead of the quick-tempo transition game it favored last year. It will give more players the opportunity to handle the ball.

Published on November 6, 2003 at 12:00 pm