Tracy Harbut has her place on the Syracuse women’s basketball team. On the court, there are no big surprises. She’s one of SU’s top defenders. She’s also great at feeding players in the low post.

Harbut, a sophomore, is quiet and reserved when she’s not playing basketball. She plays the piano when taking a break from hoops, but set basketball as her priority long ago.

She’ll set music aside Saturday at 1 p.m. when the Orange hosts Kent State at Manley Field House.

‘I felt bad that she gave up the piano,’ her mother, Cordelia, said. ‘Occasionally, she’ll still (play) when she’s at home, but she just felt like basketball was what she wanted to do.’

Harbut’s passion for basketball started before her ability to tickle the ivories. She joined a boys’ recreational league when she was 6 years old in her hometown of Lexington, Ky. She learned the game from her brother, Terren, now a senior forward for the Ohio University men’s basketball team.

Harbut says somewhere between the ages of 8 and 10, she got into piano as well.

‘I went to this church camp in the summer,’ she said, ‘and a man asked if anyone knew how to play. That’s when I wanted to learn.

‘I took lessons for a couple of years. Basketball got in the way, so I’ve just been playing on my own.’

Harbut makes use of pianos in some of the SU dorms and plays the ‘Maranga’ by heart every time she sits down. She plays mostly classical music.

Her teammates knew little about their friend’s second talent, though. Even Lauren Kohn, her roommate from freshman year, was surprised to hear of her talent.

‘I thought we were pretty close,’ Kohn said, ‘but that’s one thing I didn’t know about her.’

‘I didn’t know,’ senior Chineze Nwagbo said when told of Harbut’s ability. ‘My teammates are into a whole lot of different things, though. Rochelle (Coleman) plays the trumpet and guitar and Mary (Riley) tries to sing all the time. We’re musically inclined, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Tracy plays the piano.’

Cieplicki, however, was in on the secret, despite never recruiting his starting guard. Harbut signed her National Letter of Intent as a recruit for former SU head coach Marianna Freeman, who resigned in March of 2003. Harbut ultimately joined the Orange, putting aside interest from other schools, including Howard and Miami (Ohio).

‘I haven’t had a chance to listen to her play yet,’ Cieplicki said, ‘but I would certainly enjoy that opportunity. Tracy’s a great, great person.’

Harbut’s kind nature contributed to her giving up the piano, her mother said. After her mother’s divorce, Harbut gave up the piano to ease her mother’s busy schedule. She has three siblings.

Cordelia says she enjoys her daughter’s time home, especially when some of her friends teach her a new song in the living room. Cordelia particularly likes some of the new Mariah Carey songs that Harbut learned.

After a year at SU, Harbut is now thriving on the hardwood. She gave up her seat on the piano bench and doesn’t spend too much time on the Orange bench. The change is something that makes her coach and teammates very happy.

‘She’s always getting deflections, getting steals and always grabbing big rebounds,’ Kohn said. ‘She’s one of those players that does all the little things.’

‘She’s a real steady, stable, consistent kind of player and those are the kinds of players that hold a team together,’ Cieplicki said. ‘We always know what we’re getting out of Tracy, and that’s important.’

Published on December 9, 2004 at 12:00 pm