Basketball Guide 2020

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Dear readers, If there was any bubble of hope surrounding Syracuse’s basketball seasons, that the two teams could combine to play at least 50 games during a global pandemic, Sunday night’s news punctured it. The Orange paused all men’s basketball activities after two positive tests within the program, including 76-yearold head coach Jim Boeheim.

There’s little stability entering the 202021 season, with dozens of programs already in similar situations to Syracuse — on pause, with a cloudy timetable for when that’ll be lifted. And while games will start, while college basketball will plow ahead with its season, there’s no guarantee that this delicate year will end like it does in normal years.

To prevent outbreaks and the spread of COVID-19 within the team, Syracuse invested in contract tracing technology with wristbands that track distance between players and coaches. It added strict COVID19 protocols during workouts and practices to ensure if one member tested positive, like Boeheim, they could contain the positive case.

Alongside COVID-19’s continued impact are storylines that’ll shape the Orange’s seasons when they take the court. Tiana Mangakahia will complete her return from Stage 2 breast cancer, a path that included pickup basketball games at Jamesville-DeWitt Middle School and SU’s Barnes Center at The Arch. Illinois transfer Alan Griffin is tasked with replacing the NBA-bound Elijah Hughes.

Kamilla Cardoso, the best recruit in women’s basketball program history, will use her 6-foot-7 frame in the center of SU’s 2-3 zone. Marek Dolezaj, who’s always been an undersized player, added 20 pounds to his frame this offseason. And Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi once again steps into a role as SU’s top player off the bench.

Welcome to The Daily Orange’s Basketball Guide.

Thanks for reading, Andrew Crane, Sports Editor

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‘IT’S EXHAUSTING’

photo by alex malanoski staff photographer

ENTERING SYRACUSE’S SEASON, COVID-19 IS THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE

By Anthony Dabbundo Senior staff writer

M

a rek Dolezaj hasn’t been on Syracuse’s Main Campus a single time this semester.

He lives in downtown Syracuse and practices in-person at Manley Field House and the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center. He attends all of his classes online, avoids restaurants and bars and takes his dog for walks to pass the time.

The players are encouraged to only spend time with people who are tested for COVID-19 regularly and to never be in groups that exceed 10 people.

A semester of sacrifice was intended to help protect the entire team from contracting COVID-19. But the Orange found themselves with the same fate of dozens of college basketball programs looking to start up their season in coming weeks.

The program has confirmed two positive tests this week: One from an unnamed person and the other from head coach Jim Boeheim.

On Sunday night, Boeheim announced on Twitter that he had tested positive for COVID-19. At age 76, he’s considered to be at high-risk for complications, but he’s asymptomatic as of Sunday night. The positive test leaves the Orange’s head coach in quarantine, the team’s activities paused and the future of their season uncertain less than two weeks before it’s

photo by max freund staff photographer

scheduled to begin.

“I’m confident we can pull it off,” Boeheim said at a press conference prior to his positive test. “But it’s not going to be easy. I think it can be done.”

Throughout this fall season, Syracuse football announced zero positive tests, even while a few Syracuse sports had matches and games canceled due to infections. Their relative success made Boeheim optimistic that the athletic department’s protocols could keep COVID-19 outside the program.

College basketball is facing the same reality as college football and all other collegiate sports: As cases rise across the country, the chance of athletes testing positive also increases, said David Larsen, an associate professor and epidemiologist at Syracuse.

Dozens of programs around the

country and within New York state have suspended their in-person activities before teams’ seasons have even begun. Miami and Stetson canceled their first scheduled game. In Syracuse, Division II Le Moyne pushed back its season-opener to mid-January, but the full team still doesn’t workout together to prevent the spread of COVID-19, head coach Nate Champion said.

“They’re just trying to stay in a bubble as much as we can so that we can play,” Boeheim said at the press conference. “Hopefully, that’s what will happen. We’ve been together for 16 weeks, and there’s been a lot of practicing. They’re ready to play.”

The Orange have taken multiple measures within their program to try to limit spread within their own pseudo-bubble of players, Boeheim said.

He and the coaching staff wear masks at all times, and the players wear them around the facilities, except when practicing. Instead of normal practices, which consist of scrimmaging and full team activities, workouts are more limited in time and scope.

The players have designated spots to stand at before coming on the court. They space out 10 feet from one another for strength and conditioning, stretching and more individualized workouts. Team events, such as scrimmages, are limited to 10 minutes. In the locker room, the team is split into smaller groups so they can socially distance, Boeheim said.

“I just don’t think we have quite as much ‘umph’ in practice because you’re spaced out so much,” Boeheim said. “You have to imagine, if you look at our practice, you don’t see a player next to each other.”

SU Athletics has invested in a new chip device that tracks the amount of time people spend around one another. If the players get too close, it beeps to warn them, Boeheim said. Tiana Mangakahia said the women’s basketball team utilizes the technology, too.

Larsen didn’t know the Orange were using the chips when asked, but he said the technology doesn’t really work because the virus is airborne.

If a person with COVID-19 shared the same enclosed air space for a prolonged amount of time, the chip may not pick it up, he said. Despite social distancing measures, the virus can see covid-19 page 14

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4 basketball guide 2020

RETURN TO FORM After beating cancer, Tiana Mangakahia’s path to lineup began with pickup

By Tim Nolan staff writer

T

iana Mangakahia got the ball on the wing and drove baseline. The nation’s 2018 assist leader found herself in a familiar situation: one defender on her left hip, another between her and the basket and only seconds to make a play.

With her right hand, the Australian whipped a no-look pass behind her head. The pass hit her teammate in stride, guiding them to an uncontested layup, and the crowd was ecstatic. A frustrated opponent quickly gathered the ball on the baseline and barked at their teammates to push back up the floor.

But Tiana wasn’t playing for Syracuse. On a hot, sunny afternoon in August at Jamesville-Dewitt

Middle School, this play didn’t count for anything beyond a few “Oohs” and “Aahs” from teammates and onlookers eager to form the next team of five.

Tiana began playing pickup basketball games three days a week after she was diagnosed with stage 2, grade 3 breast cancer in June 2019. The games, which she played until Syracuse began practice on Oct 16, fueled her return to the Orange. She’s joining the team for a fifth year after receiving an NCAA eligibility waiver on Oct. 2, and she was declared cancer-free in November 2019.

She expects SU’s season to end with a trip to the national championship and a first-round WNBA selection. But to her, the exhibitions have meant much more.

“During chemo and everything, pickup gave me an outlet where I didn’t think about what was going on,” Tiana said. “It helped me stay focused on my goal.”

TIANA MANGAKAHIA IS SYRACUSE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL’S ALL-TIME ASSISTS LEADER. IN TWO SEASONS WITH THE ORANGE, MANGAKAHIA HAS RECORDED 591 ASSISTS.

She’s the school leader in assists (591) after just two seasons, and she’s now tasked with leading a No. 23 Syracuse team that’s advanced beyond the NCAA Tournament’s second round just once in program history.

“Her talent has no limits on what she can do going into this season,” said 14-year head coach Quentin Hillsman. “I just can’t imagine her, barring some kind of setback, not having a fantastic year.”

From July 5, 2019 to Oct. 11, 2019, Tiana received eight rounds of chemotherapy at St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center in Syracuse. Because she wasn’t able to practice with teammates at SU’s Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center, the All-American Honorable Mention point guard turned to recreational play at SU’s Barnes Center at The Arch or in nearby parks.

see mangakahia page 14

TIANA MANGAKAHIA MADE 267 OF HER 304 FREE THROW ATTEMPTS IN HER FIRST TWO SEASONS WITH THE ORANGE. SHE LEADS SYRACUSE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL IN ALL-TIME FREE THROW PERCENTAGE WITH 87.8%

basketball guide 2020 5

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PROVING IT ALAN GRIFFIN WAS THE MOST EFFICIENT SCORER IN THE NATION. AT SU, HIS ROLE WILL GROW.

By Danny Emerman senior staff writer

A

bout every other day for two straight summers, a preschool-aged Alan Griffin attempted to ride a bicycle with his dad. Day after day ended with Alan frustrated at his inability to balance, though.

It wasn’t that Alan’s a slow learner — Adrian Griffin, his dad, had already taught him how to shoot a basketball. Alan just couldn’t figure it out. Maybe the 6-year-old needed a little kick, Adrian thought.

“One day, we were out riding a bike, and I was trying to teach him, and I said ‘This is the last time I’m taking you to try to ride a bike. If you don’t get it now, I’m taking your bike and I’m throwing it in the trash,’” Adrian recalled.

Sure enough, Alan steadily pedaled away.

“It kind of let me know that Alan just needs to be challenged,” Adrian said. ”Any time you challenge

him, he always steps up to the plate. He’s one of those players that if you tell him he can’t do something, he’ll prove to you that he can.”

His two seasons at Illinois were a different challenge. He came off the bench and served primarily as a floor spacer, taking nearly two-thirds of his shots from behind the arc. Alan fulfilled the limited role brilliantly as a sophomore, averaging 19.9 points, 10 rebounds and a steal on 41.6% 3-point shooting per 40 minutes. But after transferring to Syracuse, Alan’s now facing a new obstacle: adding enough playmaking ability to his game to replace 2019 Atlantic Coast Conference first-team performer Elijah Hughes.

With Alan’s window to become a legitimate NBA prospect narrowing, this season is critical.

For both Alan and Syracuse, there’s no time for training wheels.

“I know a lot of people think I just shoot the ball,” Alan said. “But I came here to prove otherwise.”

Alan transferred to Syracuse — choosing the

SPRING 2018

Orange over Dayton, Miami, Arizona, Iowa State and Texas — because it offered him the biggest onball role. Pigeonholed as a sharpshooter on a team flushed with talent, Alan averaged just 18 minutes per game in 2019. The Ossining, New York native flourished in that role. Among all Division I players who used at least 20% of his team’s possessions, Alan finished first in offensive rating, a statistic that measures efficiency.

But Alan’s Illini experience was far from perfect. He was suspended from two games for stepping on a Purdue player’s chest, an incident he apologized for and said was “out of character.”

He’d never displayed that type of misjudgement in high school. His high school coach Patrick Massaroni doesn’t remember him ever picking up as much as a technical foul at Archbishop Stepinac (New York), whom Alan led to the 2018 New York State Federation title.

He grew frustrated with his playing time. Hiis dad

APRIL 2020

SUMMER 2018

LED ARCHBISHOP STPEINAC TO NEW YORK STATE FEDERATION TITLE

see griffin page 15

TRANSFERRED FROM ILLINOIS TO SYRACUSE

TRAINED IN LOS ANGELES, LIVED WITH JIMMY BUTLER

WINTER 2018

JANUARY 2018

PLAYED IN 30 GAMES AS A FRESHMAN FOR ILLINOIS

SUSPENDED FOR TWO GAMES, STEPPED ON A PURDUE PLAYER’S CHEST

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6 basketball guide 2020

‘BUILT DIFFERENT’

HOW KAMILLA CARDOSO TOOK ADVANTAGE OF HER 6-FOOT-7 FRAME

By Roshan Fernandez asst. sports editor

KAMILLA CARDOSO HAS MADE SYRACUSE PROGRAM HISTORY AS THE HIGHEST-RANKED RECRUIT AND TOP NATIONAL RECRUIT FOR HER POSITION.

KAMILLA CARDOSO TOWERS OVER THE AVERAGE WOMAN IN HER HOME COUNTRY OF BRAZIL. AS THE TALLEST PLAYER ON SYRACUSE’S ROSTER, THE CENTER PREPARES TO USE HER HEIGHT TO SUCCEED IN HER FRESHMAN SEASON.

W

hen Kamilla Cardoso arrived at an airport in Tennessee four years ago, Treasure Hunt couldn’t believe how tall her newest teammate was. She knew Cardoso, an incoming high school freshman, was listed as 6-foot-6. But when people say that, they’re usually shorter, Treasure said.

Cardoso wasn’t. Her Hamilton Heights (Tennessee) Christian Academy teammates and coaches’ first impressions of her all had to do with height.

Head coach Keisha Hunt’s dad, who’s 6-foot-4 and went to the airport with Treasure, was amazed that Cardoso was taller than him.

“I’ve never seen a girl that tall before,” Ruth Balogun, a high school teammate who now plays at Central Arkansas, said. “I was just shocked and surprised.”

“She was built different.”

Cardoso’s 6-foot-7 frame makes her the tallest player in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Entering her freshman season at Syracuse as the highestranked recruit in Syracuse program history (No. 5) and top national recruit for her position, Cardoso has earned a spot on the Lisa Leslie Award watch list, given annually to the nation’s best center.

But when Cardoso arrived in Chattanooga from her hometown in Montes Claros, Brazil, the polished recruit who she is now hadn’t shone through yet.

Cardoso had the best speed and footwork of any post player Keisha had ever seen. Her height presented a notable advantage, but her technical skills were raw.

Since then, she’s “come a long way,” Ruth said, though Cardoso admitted she still has room to grow.

“You could tell that she had been used to just relying on her height, so a lot of the fundamental stuff she didn’t have,” Keisha said. “If you’re a 16-year-old, 6-foot-(6) girl, why do you have to block out? You’re getting every rebound, anyway.”

Basketball was easy back in Brazil, Cardoso said. In elementary school, she averaged about 30 points and 20 rebounds per game and, as she got older, 5-foot-8 or 5-foot-9 opponents couldn’t guard her. She just had to “stand there, run the court, put her arms in the air and shoot,” Treasure, a four-year Hamilton Heights teammate, said.

Girls basketball in Brazil wasn’t widespread, and Cardoso knew she had to come to the United States to ultimately play in the WNBA, a dream she’s had since she was 14 years old. After extensive conversations with her mom, they decided that Hamilton Heights, a boarding school where non-local students live with host families, would be best for Cardoso’s education and basketball. Upon arrival, Treasure said Cardoso was initially “kind of shocked” to find

see cardoso page 14

basketball guide 2020 7

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8 basketball guide 2020

JIM BOEHEIM 44

964-399 (.707)

SEASONS COACHED

1

STAR G

CAREER RECORDS

SPONSO

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP (2003)

HEAD COACH JIM BOEHEIM HAS ONLY MISSED THE NCAA TOURNAMENT NINE TIMES IN HIS 44-YEAR TENURE AT THE HELM OF THE ORANGE.

79.7%

AFTER MEN’S BASKETBALL APPEARED IN THE FINAL FOUR IN 2016, THE NUMBER OF HIGH-RANKED RECRUITS INCREASED. THIS SEASON, BOEHEIM PIECED TOGETHER A CLASS WITH 10 TOTAL STARS. 17 13

12

2015

10

10

8

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

JIM BOEHEIM SIGNED THREE PLAYERS FROM THE CLASS OF 2020, ONE FOUR-STAR AND A PAIR OF THREE-STAR COMMITS.

WOODY NEWTON

KADARY RICHMOND

FRANK ANSELEM

MAY 28 2019

JUNE 3 2020

MAY 28 2019

13

NUMBER OF ATHLETES ON SCHOLARSHIPS THAT THE NCAA ALLOWS DIVISION I BASKETBALL TEAMS TO HAVE IN A SINGLE RECRUITING CLASS

ANDREW CRANE

ANTHONY DABBUNDO

DANNY EMERMAN

ROOM FOR GROWTH ACC RECORD: 11-9 MVP: BUDDY BOEHEIM X-FACTOR: QUINCY GUERRIER

ONE STEP BACK, TWO STEPS FORWARD ACC RECORD: 12-8 MVP: ALAN GRIFFIN X-FACTOR: QUINCY GUERRIER

MAKING THE LEAP ACC RECORD: 11-9 MVP: ALAN GRIFFIN X-FACTOR: JOSEPH GIRARD III

It’ll be quite common, and likely accurate, to say that Syracuse’s success in 2020-21 hinges on the immediate impact of Alan Griffin — that’s why he’s the easy pick for MVP. But I’m not sure it’ll end up being the right one.

Even if Griffin doesn’t completely fulfill Elijah Hughes’ vacant role, the Orange could still be a double-digit win team in the Atlantic Coast Conference. If that happens, Buddy Boeheim and Quincy Guerrier’s development will headline the Orange’s season.

Based on the play of Boeheim, Guerrier and Griffin, I could easily see Syracuse’s win total extending beyond 12. But until I see how this offense works without Hughes, as well as the actual improvements from Guerrier that everyone’s raving about, 11 it is.

Syracuse enters the 2020 season with COVID-19 as its biggest obstacle. If the season proceeds, the Orange return nearly everyone and should be an above-average ACC team. The team’s offensive success comes down to Alan Griffin’s development from an efficient third option at Illinois to one of the go-to scorers at Syracuse. He’ll need to generate shots, and the Orange will be a tournament team if Griffin is able to make up some of Elijah Hughes’ lost production.

SU’s defense was its biggest problem in 2019-20, and Quincy Guerrier and Kadary Richmond are the two people I expect to improve their defense this year. If Syracuse wants to become one of the conference’s elite, Guerrier’s minutes off the bench will make the difference.

How far Alan Griffin is able to step into a much larger offensive role will decide whether Syracuse is a bubble team or an ACC contender. It’ll be tough to live up to Elijah Hughes’ superstar 2019-20 season, but if Griffin can come close, and the team can improve at the margins as it should, the Orange will be in good shape.

Joe Girard III is probably the player I’m most interested in this year, but whether he can take a leap from his strong freshman year by limiting turnovers, becoming a more efficient off-the-bounce shooter and improving defensively will be key. Syracuse has built this team around a Girard-Buddy Boeheim backcourt, a potentially potent offensive duo that might also be unsustainable on defense. This year is critical for his development and the long-term outlook of SU’s core.

basketball guide 2020 9

GAZING

QUENTIN HILLSMAN 14

304-160 (.655)

SEASONS COACHED

CAREER RECORDS

ORED BY

8

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCES

IN 2007-08, HEAD COACH QUENTIN HILLSMAN COACHED SYRACUSE TO A 22-9 SEASON AND TOOK THE ORANGE TO THE NCAA TOURNAMENT’S FIRST ROUND.

2008 BIG EAST COACH OF THE YEAR

QUENTIN HILLSMAN HAS CONSISTENTLY PIECED TOGETHER HIGH RANKED RECRUITING CLASSES. THIS SEASON, HE HAS RECRUITED HIS MOST ELITE CLASS YET, 26 TOTAL STARS. 26

21 15

2015

14

2016

13

2017

2018

11

2019

2020

QUENTIN HILLSMAN’S 2020 RECRUITING CLASS IS THE HIGHEST RATED RECRUITING CLASS IN PROGRAM HISTORY. ACCORDING TO ESPNW HOOPGURLZ, SYRACUSE’S 2020 RECRUITING CLASS IS RANKED NO. 4 IN THE UNITED STATES.

KHAMYA MCNEAL

AUG. 20 2019

FAITH BLACKSTONE AUG. 21 2019

PRISCILLA WILLIAMS

LAURA SALMERON

KAMILLA CARDOSO

KIARA FISHER

AVA IRVIN

MAUD HUIJBENS

SEPT. 16 2019

NOV. 1 2019

NOV. 7 2019

NOV. 16 2019

JAN. 13 2020

APRIL 30 2020

ROSHAN FERNANDEZ

TIM NOLAN

FINDING A RHYTHYM

FRESHMEN FEVER ACC RECORD: 15-5 MVP: TIANA MANGAKAHIA X-FACTOR: THE FRESHMEN

ACC RECORD: 14-4 MVP: TIANA MANGAKAHIA X-FACTOR: KAMILLA CARDOSO

Tiana Mangakahia, the Orange’s all-time leader in assists, is back for her fifth year with Syracuse.

Kiara Lewis stepped in as point guard last season to fill in for Mangakahia, and if Lewis and Mangakahia can find a rhythm this season, Syracuse has the potential to become a top-10 team.

SU ranks No. 23 in the AP’s preseason poll and was projected to finish third in the ACC. The Orange’s schedule doesn’t feature Louisville or Notre Dame — who were projected to finish first and second, respectively — until January, allowing the team to settle in. The Orange have the No. 4 recruiting class in the country, and assuming freshmen Kamilla Cardoso and Priscilla Williams mesh with the returning starters, Syracuse has the potential to develop into a dangerous team.

I’m going to cheat on this X factor answer, and that’s because the entire No. 4 recruiting class in 2020 will be the difference First, you’ve got Kamilla Cardoso. At 6-foot-7, she’s the tallest top-5 recruit since Baylor’s Brittney Griner (6-foot-9) in 2009. You’ve also got Priscilla Williams, another top-10 recruit who figures to back up Tiana Mangakahia and fellow All-ACC guard Kiara Lewis. At 6-foot-2, Williams will be a matchup nightmare off the bench.

The final fourth of the Orange schedule — which includes home games against No. 5 Louisville and No. 8 NC State and an away game against No. 22 Notre Dame — should tell how deep into March, or April, this team can go.

THOMAS SHULTS PIECES OF THE PUZZLE ACC RECORD 15-5 MVP: TIANA MANGAKAHIA X-FACTOR: KAMILLA CARDOSO

With Tiana Mangakahia returning for her fifth year and the team adding two five-star freshmen, Syracuse is in position to compete for an ACC championship. There’s a ton of talent on this roster, as four of last year’s starters return along with sixth-man Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi.

The biggest question is how all of these playmakers gel. Last season, Kiara Lewis took over as the top scorer, averaging over 17 points per game. With Mangakahia returning, Lewis will move to shooting guard.

Shouldering less expectations for offensive production should allow Lewis’ shooting percentages to bounce back from career lows. Down low, 6-foot-7 freshman Kamilla Cardoso could quickly become one of the best players in the ACC. If she lives up to expectations, Syracuse could win its first ACC tournament.

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10 basketball guide 2020

TAKING CHARGE

MAREK DOLEZAJ’S UNDERSIZED FRAME SHAPES HIS ‘SNEAKY’ STYLE OF PLAY

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By Andrew Crane sports editor

A

s Marek Dolezaj rose to the rim and finished a transition dunk, drawing an and-one, the power went out inside Boris Trajkovski Sports Center. Dolezaj landed, and teammates on the bench joked that his dunk had turned the lights off. It was Aug. 6, 2016, just three minutes into Slovakia’s FIBA Under-18 European Championship semifinal game against Montenegro.

That day, a storm tore through Skopje, Macedonia, the location of the tournament, and caused the Slovakia national team’s 10-minute bus ride from their hotel to take 90 because of flooded streets.

Both teams had shortened warmups.

Dolezaj’s play was one of several that etched his spot in the Slovakian lineup, despite being undersized. He needed to rely on transition offense, strong rebounding and smart defense against stronger and taller opponents. Slovakia ended up losing after the power returned, despite Dolezaj’s 14 points. His 19 the next day claimed a win against Hungary and a third-place result, the country’s best youth-team finish.

“Marek in transition, you know, it was a lot of alley-oops, a lot of funny things,” Richard Duris, the coach of Slovakia’s U-18 team that year, said.

Playing against men as old as 30 in his club team,

the Extraliga for Karlovka, shaped Dolezaj into the player was when he arrived at Syracuse. A year after the bronze medal finish, he was 180 pounds, the lightest forward on the Orange’s roster by 25 pounds. As he progressed and keyed the Orange’s run in the NCAA Tournament that year while helping it return again the next season, Dolezaj continued to grow.

In 2018-19, he started just six games but continued to carve out an expanding offensive role, slightly lifting his shooting percentage from 53.7% to 55.9%. Dolezaj compiled 43 steals, up from 30 the previous year, and became a consistent presence off the bench behind Oshae Brissett. Since, he’s secured a regular spot in the Orange’s starting lineup, gained 20 pounds since COVID-19 halted SU’s season in March and continued to improve his shot, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. And with a hole left by Elijah Hughes’ jump to the NBA, Dolezaj might be the plug SU needs.

“When he was younger, he was even skinnier than now,” Duris said. “But I think (that) really developed his basketball IQ. From a really young age, he had to be able to find the ways with his brain, not with his body.”

Before Slovakia reached the semifinals of its FIBA tournament four years ago, it needed to defeat Georgia by 14 points to advance out of group play.

Early in the first quarter, Dolezaj raced into transition — gaining a step on Goga Bitadze, a future

see dolezaj page 14

SINCE 2017, MAREK DOLEZAJ HAS EXPANDED HIS OFFENSIVE ROLE BY INCREASING HIS SHOOTING PERCENTAGE. IN 2020-21, HE’S LOOKING TO BOUNCE BACK FROM A LACKLUSTER 2019-20 SEASON.

DURING SYRACUSE’S UPSET AGAINST DUKE, THE 170-POUND DOLEZAJ WAS KNOCKED DOWN

BY A 284-POUND FRESHMAN ZION WILLIAMSON. THE WEIGHT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO: 114 POUNDS

basketball guide 2020 11

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SHARPENED

FOCUS

By Thomas Shults asst. copy editor

M

aeva Djaldi-Tabdi was uncomfortable during her first three years at Syracuse. The Orange’s style of play differed from what she had grown up playing in France, and a year of professional basketball after high school forced an adjustment back into the classroom.

In her first semester, she and Marie-Paule Foppossi, a fellow redshirting French player, weren’t required to attend morning practice as they adjusted to the United States. But once the second semester began, 6 a.m. practices became mandatory.

“I wasn’t always going 100%,” Djaldi-Tabdi said.

“Sometimes I was annoyed about things in practice and I was just like, ‘Okay, whatever, like I’m not doing this.’”

Part of Djaldi-Tabdi’s growth has stemmed from an increased focus in practice. Now entering her fourth season at SU as a redshirt junior, Djaldi-Tabdi is poised to serve as the team’s sixth man, a similar role to the one she held last season. Before committing to Syracuse, Djaldi-Tabdi played professionally in France for a year with Flammes Carolo. The five-star recruit came to Syracuse to learn a different style of basketball and expand her skillset.

“All the things that she needed to work on were things that you could teach,” assistant coach Adeniyi Amadou said. “But all of her strengths were absolutely God-given.

At 6-foot-2, Djaldi-Tabdi has the size and wingspan that few players have, and she’s also mobile on defense, Amadou said. She has quick feet to guard on

LAST SEASON, MAEVA DJALDI-TABDI AVERAGED 16.6 MINUTES PER GAME. SHE HAS YET TO START A GAME AT SYRACUSE.

MAEVA DJALDI-TABDI WAS THE FIRST PLAYER OFF THE BENCH FOR SYRACUSE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL LAST SEASON. WHILE SHE ONLY HAD 21 ATTEMPTS, DJALDI-TABDI HAD THE HIGHEST 3-POINT PERCENTAGE ON THE ORANGE.

MAEVA DJALDI-TABDI’S CRUCIAL BENCH ROLE TAPPED INTO HER UNBRIDLED POTENTIAL

the wing, and her defensive instincts allow her to guard multiple positions.

Two years before arriving in New York state, Djaldi-Tabdi never planned to play college basketball.

Syracuse began recruiting her while she played for Flammes Carolo. Amadou and head coach Quentin Hillsman discussed the difference between playing college basketball and playing professionally in France with her. SU would allow Djaldi-Tabdi to play a different type of basketball in a new culture, even though being a professional athlete immediately after high school was a “blessing,” Amadou said.

Amadou met Djaldi-Tabdi on a recruiting trip for Djaldi-Tabdi’s sister, who’s now a pro basketball player in France. The first time he saw her play came in Sopron, Hungary, where Djaldi-Tabdi played center for the U-18 French National Team in 2016 and experimented with power forward for the first time.

France won the U18 Women’s European Championship, as Amadou watched, after sweeping all seven of its games. While Djaldi-Tabdi averaged six points and 7.6 rebounds, coaches mainly relied upon her for defensive impact.

Amadou and Hillsman told her that she could have a larger role on offense if she came to Syracuse.

“She came from a structure where she was asked to play within a structure and play a tight role,” Amadou said. “The American game allows some freedom and some opportunity for the individual player to explore outside.”

Part of that freedom was an opportunity for DjaldiTabdi to improve her 3-point shot. While she didn’t emphasize her 3 in France, she always wanted to

see djaldi-tabdi page 15

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12 basketball guide 2020

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2020-2021 ACC Men's

Basketball Schedule dec. 12 at Boston College dec. 22 Notre Dame dec. 29 or 30 at Wake Forest jan. 2 at North Carolina jan. 5 or 6 Florida State jan. 12 or 13 Clemson jan. 16 at Pittsburgh jan. 19 or 20 Miami jan. 23 Virginia Tech jan. 25 at Virginia

jan. 31 N.C. State feb. 2 or 3 Louisville feb. 6 at Clemson feb. 9 or 10 at N.C. State feb. 13 Pittsburgh feb. 16 or 17 at Louisville feb. 20 Boston College feb. 22 at Duke feb. 27 at Georgia Tech march 1 North Carolina

2020-2021 ACC Women's

BASKETBALL SCHEDULE dec. 10 at Miami dec. 17 at North Carolina dec. 20 at Boston College dec. 31 North Carolina jan. 7 Virginia jan. 10 Notre Dame jan. 14 at Georgia Tech jan. 17 Miami jan. 21 at Duke jan. 24 at Clemson

jan. 28 Pittsburgh feb. 1 at Louisville feb. 4 Wake Forest feb. 7 at Pittsburgh feb. 11 at Florida State feb. 14 Louisville feb. 18 at Notre Dame feb. 21 at Virginia Tech feb. 25 Boston College feb. 28 vs NC State

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14 basketball guide 2020

from page 3

covid-19 still spread.

The Orange use the chip technology so that, if someone does test positive, they can quantifiably tell how frequently the players were around one another and how often they came within six feet of each other. Now that Syracuse has multiple positives, the protocols will go into effect.

Per the NCA A’s guidelines, Boeheim will quarantine for 10 days following his positive test, if he doesn’t have symptoms.

But if Boeheim did develop any, he’d need to quarantine for 10 days following the onset.

The Orange aren’t able to “test out” of quarantine, meaning that multiple negative from page 4

mangakahia Less than six months after Tiana was named one of the top five point guards in the country, she was playing pickup with anyone who’d let her join — former high school players, SU football players or people trying to get some exercise. Back in Australia, Tiana played basketball exclusively with trainers, teammates or family members.

Pickup games with strangers were a new concept that she didn’t experience until she came to the United States in 2015.

“I kind of liked it,” Tiana said. “Playing in Melo is regular to me. So playing in Barnes, playing in JD was nice to meet new people and playing the sport you love with people who love playing it.”

Just getting through a game was monumental for Tiana at first. Most five-on-five games were played to 11 points, with 2-pointers counting as one and 3-pointers as two, and Tiana often felt herself getting dizzy by the time one team reached four. Those playing with her knew her limits, and her team always carried a sixth player to sub her in and out.

“It would just depend how I felt,” Tiana said. “Most of the time I couldn’t finish from page 6

cardoso that she wasn’t one of the team’s best players.

The competition at practice was steep compared to that in Brazil. Cardoso played with and against Division-I talent such as Treasure (Kentucky), Ruth (Central Arkansas) and Elizabeth Balogun (Louisville) and Jazmine Massengill (Kentucky). Cardoso quickly realized her height didn’t matter against stronger defensive players.

“That was her biggest progression that I’ve seen, not to rely on her height and learn how to do things right,” Keisha said.

During her freshman and sophomore years, Cardoso didn’t understand the purpose of posting up, Treasure said. She didn’t need it during games. Opponents easily pushed Cardoso off the ball because she never “sat down” when posting up, Treasure said. On defense, Cardoso just stood there, “straight and tall” with her hands in the air, Keisha said.

Still, few Hamilton Heights opponents could match up with Cardoso. She wasn’t a traditional post-up player, Treasure said.

Instead, she got her points from running the from page 10

dolezaj Indiana Pacers first-round draft pick. After crossing the free throw line, Dolezaj dunked on the 6-foot-11 center.

In Duris’ defense, Dolezaj slotted in the weak side block of the 2-3 zone and the top of their 1-3-1 three-quarter or full-court press.

Because of his wingspan, offenses struggled to cycle the ball from side to side, Duris said. Their goal was to chew at least eight seconds off the shot clock before opponents crossed half court. And they often did with Dolezaj, forcing quick and rushed shots that he rebounded.

Off those steals and rebounds, Duris emphasized the need to push the ball up the floor. It was how Dolezaj could use his speed to gain a step or two. Slovakia looked for points around the rim while attempting to draw mismatches with post players lined up against Dolezaj outside the 3-point line. Unlike his spot in Syracuse’s rotation the last three years,

tests won’t enable them to leave early. One positive test could mean that a player misses up to four games in a two-week period.

While Boeheim’s status is now in doubt for Syracuse’s season-opener against Bryant, games beyond that could be in even more danger.

Larsen is expecting a potential shutdown of New York state in December, after Thanksgiving, which he called “a disaster” for potential transmission between families. With the need and desire to see families, Larsen thinks that cases will only continue to rise into December.

Even as parts of Europe are heightening COVID-19 restrictions through stayat-home orders and mandating the closure of businesses, many countries have chosen

not to shut down sporting leagues. In the United Kingdom and France, there are new lockdowns in place, but the nation’s top soccer and rugby leagues are still playing without fans.

Larsen foresees a similar future for college basketball throughout the fall, where players are staying together, traveling together and being tested frequently. Boeheim the Orange are currently being tested once per week, and that will increase to three times per week once the season begins, Boeheim said.

Multiple basketball coaches in the Syracuse area, including Boeheim, have commented on the mental health aspects of the pandemic. While the athletes are here to play basketball, the mental toll of not being able to attend social gatherings

and see friends outside the team is weighing on college athletes.

“It’s exhausting,” Champion said.

“Going in everyday and not knowing when you get tested, ‘could this be the week that we get shut down for a couple weeks?’”

As the fall semester ends and most students return home, the Orange hoped the window from now until Jan. 25— the start of the spring semester — would enable them to be more protected from COVID-19 while playing over half of their schedule.

But now, they’re one of many schools to run into COVID-19 spread within their programs. Boeheim’s positive test is the reminder that, though the college basketball season may begin, its future is fragile.

the game.”

Upon being declared cancer-free, the pickup games shifted from a treatment distraction to a channel for improving her skills. If Tiana saw someone execute a move that wasn’t already in her repertoire, she’d ask them to teach her. The biggest addition was the Euro step, which helped absorb contact from or entirely evade players such as Syracuse’s 6-foot, 288-lb fullback-turnedlineman Chris Elmore.

Tiana considered the risk associated with pickup but played anyway. She would, however, step out of the way on defense when “other dudes who don’t know basketball” drove at her full force. Regardless, she still had her own “season,” keeping her three-day-a-week schedule while Syracuse (16-15) was in the middle of its worst season since 2006-07.

On Feb. 24, Tiana’s progress allowed her to resume practicing with the Orange. Her return lasted just over three weeks before SU shut down its campus due to COVID-19. She headed back to Brisbane on March 12, where pickup basketball was replaced with activities permitted by Australia’s “stay-at-home” order, including bike rides, runs and one-on-one games against her siblings.

“When she came home, she was so positive about her life,” Tiana’s brother Brandon Mangakahia said. “It’s so easy when we have trials in our life to feel sorry for ourselves, feel sad and get stuck in those mindsets. But she was so happy.”

Back in high school, Tiana established her three-day-per-week training schedule, working out on Monday, Wednesday and Friday with trainers and her team. In college, she’d text those trainers to let them know when she was back in Brisbane.

When she wasn’t doing mandatory workouts or practices, Tiana played with Brandon or one of her four older brothers in their yard.

Brandon, the youngest, often found himself standing under the basket, rebounding for Tiana as the 88% career free throw shooter took 100 straight from the charity stripe. “(I) still enjoy that because she gets swishes after swishes, so we’re just like, ‘Sweet, we’ll rebound,’” Brandon said.

While Tiana and her family relished being at home together again, there wasn’t any substitute for the competitive outlet that pickup provided the point guard. Tiana returned to Syracuse in late June and quickly resumed play at J-D Middle, Jamesville’s Tecumseh Elementary School and wherever hoops

remained up.

Teammates joined her because it was the offseason. Tiana improved her rapport with fellow veterans Emily Engstler and Digna Strautmane and built chemistry with 6-foot-7 freshman Kamilla Cardoso.

“I think she’s a great leader,” Cardoso said.

“She push(es) all the players to go hard.”

Tiana’s eligibility status for the 2020-21 season remained in limbo, but the same goals sat at the front of her mind during every pickup game: win Syracuse a national championship and get drafted in the WNBA’s first round. And in October, the NCAA’s waiver made both possible.

It’s the first time the Orange have been ranked in the AP Top 25 since November 2019. At 25 years old and SU’s eldest player, Tiana’s ready to fill that leadership role.

The fifth year’s independence stems from a lifetime of experience — being an only sister, living thousands of miles from home, beating cancer or simply being the lone Division-I athlete on a central New York street court at times.

“I always told myself that this was going to happen,” Tiana said. “To know that this (battle) was going to be over soon, and I was going to get my opportunity.”

court and outpacing the other post. To a certain degree, she still isn’t a “true post.”

“If (an opponent was) a good post player, they would eat her lunch,” Keisha said. “Especially her trying to guard them.”

Hamilton Heights’ strength and conditioning coach helped Cardoso improve her footwork by her final two seasons, creating a strong, low center of gravity that made her harder to push off a spot.

“I’ve always wanted to see Kamilla in a true post-up,” Treasure said. “When she did that in high school, we used to go crazy, crazy on the sidelines.”

In addition to post-move drills, Keisha also had Cardoso working on midrange shooting, defensive movement and layups. Early on, teammates lobbed balls up to Cardoso for layups — but she would miss most of them, Ruth said. She laughed about the way Cardoso would “miss, put it back, miss, put it back and then finally make one shot.” Oftentimes, that meant games with 20 rebounds and four points, Ruth said.

Keisha had a drill for Cardoso where she had to make a layup on one end of the court and then the other. Back and forth, Cardoso had to score 50 in a certain amount of time.

Another included setting balls on the ground at midcourt that Cardoso had to pick-up and score the layup. Over the years, drills such as those made Cardoso “consistent and unstoppable,” Ruth said.

At Syracuse, Ruth expects Cardoso to win Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Year and break records for blocks and rebounds. SU teammate Tiana Mangakahia expects Cardoso to play over 25 minutes a game and average a double-double because of her strong rebounding abilities.

“We played against some of the (Syracuse) football players up at Tecumseh (Elementary School) in the summer, and she was rebounding over (tight ends),” Mangakahia said. “She made it look so easy.”

Cardoso didn’t know any English when she arrived from Brazil, instead using Google Translate to communicate with teammates and with Keisha and Treasure, whom she lived with from the middle of freshman year until graduation. But in less than a year, she was fluent in English — she had no choice because no one else spoke Portuguese.

“She’s a strong person,” Treasure said. “To be honest, I don’t know how she did it. It

amazed me that she did what she did.”

Before Cardoso arrived at Hamilton Heights, Keisha received videos of the center from a fellow coach. The head coach was impressed that Cardoso still ran up and down the court as fast as the guards, despite her size.

She took the highlights to Hamilton Heights’ principal, who wasn’t a women’s basketball follower, and he emphasized a couple of her missed shots.

“He said, ‘You know, she doesn’t look that good to me,’ and I said ‘Are you crazy?’” Keisha said.

“We accepted her and haven’t looked back since.”

Cardoso’s technical development at Hamilton Heights built her into “a dominant force in the middle of (Syracuse’s) zone,” Quentin Hillsman, Syracuse’s head coach, said. So far, she’s quickly grasped new information from the coaching staff, Hillsman said.

At Hamilton Heights, she learned not to rely on her height and athleticism like in Brazil. At Syracuse, she’ll need to progress more as an ACC center.

“I have to do a lot of things,” Cardoso said.

“I just need to keep working.”

Because the next step, in her mind, is the WNBA.

which has traditionally been in the paint, Dolezaj often slotted as a two or three guard with Slovakia.

“We were afraid that this would be his problem, but I think he really meshed this with his IQ,” Mario Ihring, a fellow national team member, said. “If you have this IQ, you can still play also with this kind of body.”

When the Slovakian national team trained in Bratislava before the European Championships, it often only had 30 days together prior to competition. That meant training sessions focused more on learning systems than technical development. Ihring occasionally stayed at Dolezaj’s house in the capital city and went on tours with his teammate. They visited Bratislava Castle and the city’s center, both pit stops in between Eurovia Arena practices.

Before joining the national team, Dolezaj solved the ongoing problem that followed him throughout his youth basketball career with his Karlovka club: his smaller frame. Longtime coach Peter Ivanovic taught him how to contribute as a smaller player. It earned him a

spot on the Slovakia national team for the U-16 team at age 15, where he met Ihring for the first time, two promising prospects on a team that finished 4-5 in that tournament.

“We all knew I was the skinniest one,” Dolezaj said. “That was always my problem, all my life.”

Dolezaj’s role in the paint at Syracuse differed completely from the one with Karlovka and a Spanish pro team back home. Suddenly, the 180-pound forward was thrust into the paint against Atlantic Coast Conference players weighing significantly more than he did.

So he brought the same approach — using his quickness and out-smarting opponents — to earn a spot in Syracuse’s starting lineup for its final 17 games that season.

“That’s the most important thing for him: to gain weight and to improve his shot,” Ihring said. “I think he did it.”

Midway through the first half of Syracuse’s upset win over Duke in his sophomore season, Dolezaj stepped up into the Cameron Indoor Stadium paint as Zion Williamson raced

down court in transition. Dolezaj absorbed the charge, flew backward and landed on his back, rolling around as Brad Pike, Syracuse’s associate athletic director for sports medicine, walked onto the court.

“Marek is sneaky. He plays pretty strong,” Boeheim said. “Even though he was 170 pounds, you didn’t see him get overpowered a lot. Zion knocked him down, but Zion would knock down a tractor.”

Watching the game back in Slovakia, Duris grimaced as Dolezaj hit the floor. Then, he started laughing. “Good job Marek, hopefully you will be healthy,” he said of his former player.

That sequence reflected the type of player he’d seen while preparing for the European Championships year after year, the type of player who had gathered Duris’ feedback and applied it during games.

Against Duke, there was only one way for Dolezaj to stop Williamson, Duris said, and that was to take a charge. Duris taught that years ago. And now, Dolezaj knew it, too.

amdabbun@syr.edu | @Anthony Dabbundo

tnolan@syr.edu

rferna04@syr.edu | @roshan_f16

arcrane@syr.edu | @CraneAndrew

basketball guide 2020 15

dailyorange.com

from page 11

djladi-tabdi improve her range.

Amadou, who is French, became DjaldiTabdi’s primary recruiter to SU. While he and Hillsman both flew to Europe to watch DjaldiTabdi play, Amadou spoke to Djaldi-Tabdi’s mother in French.

But for Djaldi-Tabdi, it was also important that her coaches have a relationship with her whole family. Syracuse called and spoke with her mother, brother and sister almost daily.

Eventually, Djaldi-Tabdi picked Syracuse over other colleges and a professional career. But once she arrived, Djaldi-Tabdi learned she was ineligible to play her first year due to NCAA rules.

“I was upset obviously because you should come here to play basketball, and you end up not playing,” Djaldi-Tabdi said.

During her redshirt year, Djaldi-Tabdi inched out her range further and further. She also practiced post moves — including her best, the up-and-under — and improved her cardio.

Teams in France play at a slower pace, DjaldiTabdi said, but Hillsman coaches an up-tempo from page 5

griffin reminded him that he can impact the game in other ways besides scoring, such as helping on the glass, setting screens and running hard in transition. Alan said his limited role at Illinois taught him to never take a play off.

He’s “always active” with loose balls and offensive rebounds, point guard Joseph Girard III said. Head coach Jim Boeheim compared Alan’s energy to that of Baye Moussa Keita, who played center at SU from 2010 to 2014.

“I think he’s a very, probably the most high-motor player that I’ve seen in a while,” Boeheim said during a press conference. “I haven’t seen that many perimeter players that have that kind of motor. On every play, he’ll go after a rebound from 20 feet away and go get it above the rim. Loose ball, he’ll go get it from 25 feet away.”

The combination of effort and skills gives

offense that focuses on quick shots. If there’s an offensive rebound, it leads to another quick shot from the perimeter, Djaldi-Tabdi said.

In practice and in individual drills, Amadou wanted Djaldi-Tabdi to focus on post-moves.

The French player wanted to work on her outside shot, a goal she had since she crossed the Atlantic Ocean.

So they compromised and worked on both.

“She really wanted to become a very versatile player,” Amadou said. “A player that is capable of having an impact anywhere on the floor.”

Last season, Djaldi-Tabdi began shooting from behind the arc more often. In SU’s second game of the season against Maryland Eastern Shore, Djaldi-Tabdi hit the first 3 of her career.

While she attempted just 21 3s last season, Djaldi-Tabdi led the team in 3-point shooting percentage by almost 5%.

Djaldi-Tabdi began sliding lower on her drop steps and following through more on her shots, said Whisper Fisher, a former SU teammate.

Earlier in the season, Djaldi-Tabdi might’ve used the wrong post-move on a defender or might’ve spun the wrong way.

But as the season progressed, so did Djaldi-

Tabdi. Teammates were ready for her to enter the game sooner, Fisher said.

Alan a “chance to be a star” at Syracuse, as Massaroni said in April. At 6-foot-5, with great length and a knack for high-pointing rebounds, Alan shouldn’t have a problem sliding into the bottom of Syracuse’s 2-3 zone. But his star potential can only be reached if Alan combines his natural talent and physical gifts with the work ethic he’s developed from a young age.

Alan’s been around the game since he was born. Adrian, who’s now the lead assistant coach of the Toronto Raptors, retired from playing in the NBA when Alan was 8 years old. When his dad coached the Chicago Bulls, Alan would watch Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler workout.

Two summers ago, leading up to Alan’s sophomore year at U of I, Butler invited Alan to stay at his house for about a week and work out with him in Los Angeles, where many NBA players spend their offseasons.

Butler, a notoriously competitive player, led Alan through three workouts a day: one on the beach at sunrise, one in the afternoon and one at night.

“It was nice going out there, to be able to see what it’s like working out as a pro,” Alan said. “You know, what he does, everything’s done on point. From the start of the morning to the end of the night, everything’s on point.”

Alan’s work ethic also stems from his family. His younger brother AJ, who signed his letter of intent to play for Duke next season, has always pushed Alan in the gym.

His younger sister, Aubrey, is a rising star for Connecticut’s women’s basketball team.

Their intra-family games, with the sons playing against Aubrey and Adrian, often ended with AJ in tears. The Griffins’ mom, Audrey, was also an All-American track runner at Seton Hall.

When Alan knew this summer that he had to expand his playmaking ability in preparation for a bigger role at SU, the foundation was already set. Alan recorded more than two assists just twice in his 58-game Illinois career, and Syracuse will be in need of more off-the-dribble playmaking without Hughes.

ALL THE THINGS THAT SHE NEEDED TO WORK ON WERE THINGS THAT YOU COULD TEACH. BUT ALL OF HER STRENGTHS WERE ABSOLUTELY GOD-GIVEN ADENIYI AMADOU former syracuse assistant coach

“Maeva to me is like a game changer,” said Brooke Alexander, a Syracuse graduate transfer last season. “When she would come into the game, things would shift a little bit, she would score a couple of baskets consecutively,

whatever it was. I mean, in my opinion, I think that she deserves more playing time.”

Last year, Syracuse often dealt with scoring droughts. But once Djaldi-Tabdi entered the game, she always seemed to hit a couple of shots, grab rebounds and head to the free throw line in the first 30 seconds, Alexander said.

Djaldi-Tabdi averaged 16.6 minutes per game, a slight decrease from her redshirt freshman season, and she still hasn’t started a game for the Orange. Alexander thinks if she played the minutes “she deserves,” she could have averaged a double-double. Djaldi-Tabdi was the only player from last year’s team who played and was of WNBA caliber, she said.

After complaining about practices earlier in her Syracuse career and dreading early wake-ups, Djaldi-Tabdi’s focus intensified. It’s resulted in a leadership role and an emergence of her potential.

“Some people can work their whole life, and there is a ceiling,” Amadou said. “But for her, the formula is very simple. It’s going to depend on how much she wants to put in, how much she wants to invest.” tgshults@syr.edu | @ThomasShults_

He arrived at SU for offseason workouts and began training with assistant coach Gerry McNamara, who helped him see what angles to attack and when to use dribble moves. His shot distribution last year skewed extremely toward 3-point shots, with 63.4% of his attempts coming from behind the arc — 3.1% more than Buddy Boeheim in 2019-20.

He’ll have more freedom to attack the basket in Syracuse’s perimeter-oriented offense — which Adrian called “right up his alley.”

How much Alan’s up to his latest challenge of transforming his game may set the ceiling on the Orange’s season.

“The way he can shoot the ball is unparalleled. Mix that with all the other things he’s been adding to his game, and then his mental preparation, I think lastly, his desire to get better and to prove to people that he can be an elite player at any level,” Adrian said, “I think that’s what’s going to shock a lot of people.” dremerma@syr.edu @DannyEmerman

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