Spring Break
The Daily OrangeKohn starting only 6 games into freshman year
By Scott Bisang
Posted: 12/5/03, 3:12 AM EST Section: Sports
When Keith Cieplicki left Vermont in April to become the head coach of the Syracuse women's basketball team, the biggest shockwave of all may have been felt in Adrian, Mich.
That was where one of Cieplicki's UVM recruits and current Syracuse freshman, Lauren Kohn, was finishing up a stellar high school career in both basketball and volleyball. Cieplicki recruited and signed Kohn to play for the Catamounts, and the 5-foot-10 high school senior was all set for the fall move to Burlington, Vt.
Kohn eventually chose to follow Cieplicki to SU and will have a chance to showcase her skills over Winter Break as the Orangewomen take on six different opponents. The first game is this Sunday at 12 p.m. against Yale at Manley Field House. But after that home contest, the Orangewomen are on the road for four straight games, traveling to Cornell, Colorado, Vanderbilt and Pittsburgh.
SU finally returns home Jan. 10 to play St. John's in its second straight Big East contest.
If it weren't for some offseason dealings, the Orangewomen wouldn't have Kohn.
In late April, when Cieplicki delivered the news to his family and colleagues in Vermont, Kohn was left to wonder what to do about her future while still in Michigan.
"I was shocked," Kohn said of the news she personally received from Cieplicki. "I was very upset. I just didn't know what to think."
Said Cieplicki: "I think it was a shock that we left Vermont. When you have your mind made up on a school, it's tough. But (Lauren's) very flexible and open-minded."
At that point, Kohn went back and considered her list of colleges once again. Some schools closer to her home appealed, but overall she had about 10 schools that she considered if she wanted to abandon UVM as her choice.
But Cieplicki also offered a different idea.
"I spoke to Keith and he told me that if I came here," Kohn said, "I would have a good shot at getting on the team and I might want to try that."
That was where one of Cieplicki's UVM recruits and current Syracuse freshman, Lauren Kohn, was finishing up a stellar high school career in both basketball and volleyball. Cieplicki recruited and signed Kohn to play for the Catamounts, and the 5-foot-10 high school senior was all set for the fall move to Burlington, Vt.
Kohn eventually chose to follow Cieplicki to SU and will have a chance to showcase her skills over Winter Break as the Orangewomen take on six different opponents. The first game is this Sunday at 12 p.m. against Yale at Manley Field House. But after that home contest, the Orangewomen are on the road for four straight games, traveling to Cornell, Colorado, Vanderbilt and Pittsburgh.
SU finally returns home Jan. 10 to play St. John's in its second straight Big East contest.
If it weren't for some offseason dealings, the Orangewomen wouldn't have Kohn.
In late April, when Cieplicki delivered the news to his family and colleagues in Vermont, Kohn was left to wonder what to do about her future while still in Michigan.
"I was shocked," Kohn said of the news she personally received from Cieplicki. "I was very upset. I just didn't know what to think."
Said Cieplicki: "I think it was a shock that we left Vermont. When you have your mind made up on a school, it's tough. But (Lauren's) very flexible and open-minded."
At that point, Kohn went back and considered her list of colleges once again. Some schools closer to her home appealed, but overall she had about 10 schools that she considered if she wanted to abandon UVM as her choice.
But Cieplicki also offered a different idea.
"I spoke to Keith and he told me that if I came here," Kohn said, "I would have a good shot at getting on the team and I might want to try that."
