Syracuse women’s basketball: will the Orange’s new guard rotation fit together on the court in 22-23?

With fresh talent and a new coach in charge, syracuse orangewomen’s basketball team is shooting return Back to competitiveness in ACC.

The real question is whether the roster is good enough to recover. gloomy 2021-2022 campaign.

Orange has some certainties.The new head coach her Felisha Legette-Jack is a new culture in the locker room.and paper, Legette-Jack has proven to be a successful coach in previous tenure. Legette-Jack’s intensity and focus on defense terrible defense in the ACC last season.

After being blown away by Clemson in Orange season finalethe team transformed itself by adding hopeful Player transfers and new signings Recruitment A class with endless possibilities. It was a great offseason reset for Orange.

Will the women’s team’s success off the court lead to victory on the court? SU’s WBB will need to rely on top talent to lead them to decisive wins this season if they are to thrive. . It’s almost entirely down to how SU’s new big three, her Teisha Hyman, Dyaisha Fair and Georgia Woolley, fit in.

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Taisha Hyman

Let’s start by breaking down each of Orange’s most notable players for this season.

The 2021-2022 season was a disappointment, but the junior guard was one of the only bright spots.

The biggest improvement from Hyman was Orange’s ability to generate attacks. From 1st grade to 2nd grade, Hyman Improved Her scoring output went from 6.5 PPG to 16.2, an efficiency improvement of over 8%.Additionally, her growth as a playmaker (at 1.0 APG 2021; at 3.9 APG 2022) and free throw percentage (68% 202182% 2022) proved that Hyman could be an impact player with the ball in hand.

at the Oranges Last In three games this past season, Hyman averaged 24.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 3.7 APG, and 4.3 SPG while shooting 45% from the field. Small sample size?Possible, but Syracuse played in even games wake forestBoston College, during Hyman’s late-season surge at Clemson.

Heading into the junior season, Hyman’s biggest X-factor is reducing turnover.Hyman averaged In 2021-2022, he recorded at least 3 turnovers per game, totaling 15 turnovers in Orange’s last three games. In basketball, increased ball-handling responsibilities typically translate into higher utilization and higher turnover rates.

On defense, Hyman is a nasty perimeter defender who can get into enemy passing lanes and cause chaos at the top of the key. Important for dealing with Orange’s terrifying team defense from the season.

Hyman will serve a very similar role as the scoring hub of Syracuse’s offense for another year.

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diamond fair

With Phair joining the team, the Oranges are not lacking in the scoring department this season.

Daisha Fair decided to team up with a former coach from Buffalo to play a senior season at Syracuse. On paper, this is the perfect edition for a Syracuse reset.

Like Hyman, Fair is a nuclear scorer from anywhere on the court. last season she averaged 23.4 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 4.4 APG.Orange’s Biggest Plus: Fair shot Over 40% from the field, close to 3 to 37% and close to 82% from the foul line.

The fair brings consistency, two-way effort, and most importantly, seasoned orange leaders.Buffalo, in her three seasons at the fair averaged North of 23 PPG, 5 RPG, and 4 APG.

Like Hyman, Fair is a tenacious defender and can thrive as a nasty perimeter stopper that can generate turnovers from opponents. The season is worth noting.

Fair’s biggest concern is whether he can maintain scoring efficiency. Fair had similar roles, playing time and opportunities during her three seasons at Buffalo.But in her first two seasons in Buffalo, the fair shot Mid-30s, 40% off the field, 31.5% from 3 after shooting nearly 37% last season.

Will her shooting return to average? Or is Fair’s improvement a sign of what’s to come?That can’t be answered until she steps her foot on the court. For now, Fair looks like a great addition to Orange.

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Georgia Woolley

In basketball, too deep is a good problem. Orange will show a lot of talent at the guard position this season.

In a similar situation to Fair, Georgia Woolley played his freshman year at Buffalo before moving to Syracuse.

Woolley’s only season with Bulls averaged Almost 15 points (41.8% from the field) with solid efficiency. Orange again doubled the scoring for guards who survived on defense, forced turnovers, and could push in transition.

Woolley carved out a sizable role in Buffalo. Averaging 30 minutes or more per game in 2021-2022. she The 2.1 SPG and 0.5 BPG underscore her ability as an impact defender for Syracuse.

Of the three aforementioned players, Woolley is the most uncertain player. Compared to Hyman and Fair’s careers, Woolley has the smallest sample his size and playing time. Like many of SU’s new players, Woolley is another wait-and-see candidate who could play a sizeable role in the Orange rotation.

How will Syracuse’s new 3-guard lineup fit together?

By keeping one keyguard and adding two more, head coach Felicia Leggett-Jack will have to take advantage of early in the season to figure out her rotation on the team.

The offense is no cause for concern for the Orange this season. Hyman, Fair, and Woolley are all high-usage, offensive creators who can keep the defense honest with their scoring prowess while giving teammates shooting opportunities.

Orange ranked in 2021-2022 6th place Score per game in ACC. Syarcuse’s guards are a case of more talent than last year’s iteration. Additionally, Hyman and Fair already have multiple seasons of experience.

But there are concerns about what Orange’s guard rotation will be. Hyman, Fair, and Woolley have all exceeded his 30-minute per game average in their respective careers. Assuming Hyman and Fair start the season opener, Woolley will have to slip into the bench role. If Woolley happens to play better than Hyman and Fair, is one of his two players willing to sacrifice his role for the team?

Coach Legette-Jack can try a three-guard lineup. It’s interesting, to say the least, and there are certain pros and cons to making such a decision.

On the one hand, the trio of Hyman, Fair and Woolley will give Syracuse many attacks. Orange can raise points. Additionally, Orange added size, length, and defense over the summer to compensate for the team’s lack of defensive effort and rebounding issues.

But how bad the Orange defense was last season cannot be overstated. In 2021-2022, Orange allowed opponents to overscore 22 points or more than the highest ranked defense in ACC (Georgia Tech) When almost 10 points more than third worst Defensive Team (Virginia). Orange may need to sacrifice upside on offense to produce a better floor on defense.

On paper, Orange fields one of the best three-guard rotations in women’s basketball. Nevertheless, basketball games are not played on paper.

Coach Legette-Jack has a lot of decisions to make regarding team rotations. How you put together the new Guard Tandem in Orange may be your biggest choice.