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The Daily OrangeTough love
Erica Morrow may be the face of Quentin Hillsman's team. But that doesn't stop the coach from coming down hard on his star
By Kyle Austin
Posted: 11/12/08, 7:39 PM EST Section: Basketball 2008
"He's tough on her, because he expects more out of her," said junior forward Nicole Michael. "Especially her being a freshman, getting her into the program, getting her comfortable. He had to be tough on her."
Morrow, the 19th-ranked guard in 2007 by Hoopgurlz.com, surprised many by committing to a downtrodden program that had been to the NCAA Tournament one time in the last 19 years. In doing so, she became the first McDonald's All-American to attend Syracuse, in Hillsman's second season. She came in determined to orchestrate a turnaround. And she did.
In a starting role from the first day, Morrow racked up more minutes than anyone on the team - clearly emerging as the fresh face on a new-look program. And she seemed to improve as time went on, thriving in high-pressure atmospheres. In the final five games of the season - which included a trip to No. 4 Rutgers, a game against No. 14 West Virginia, and games in the Big East and NCAA tournaments - Morrow averaged 20 points per game.
Off the court, Morrow managed to find the spotlight, too. Like when she dyed a streak of pink down the top of her hair midway through the last season. Or started a blog about Syracuse women's basketball.
Along the way, the shooting guard moved into a position of leadership on the burgeoning Syracuse squad that went 22-9 and made the NCAA Tournament. It's a spot the outgoing Morrow has always seemed to gravitate toward, from AAU basketball, to her powerhouse high school team, Murry Bergtraum in New York, to her freshman season at Syracuse, where she inverted the freshman-to-senior hierarchy to become a floor general.
"The only reason I stepped up as a leader is I felt like it was something I needed to do," Morrow said. "Because, not saying it wasn't necessarily done by other people, but … there wasn't people stepping up into that role."
Now, heading into a sophomore campaign, Hillsman is reconfiguring Morrow's role on the team: Less talking. More shooting. He's made it clear he expects Morrow to take a step back and allow the more introverted Harris to run the team from the point guard.
Morrow, the 19th-ranked guard in 2007 by Hoopgurlz.com, surprised many by committing to a downtrodden program that had been to the NCAA Tournament one time in the last 19 years. In doing so, she became the first McDonald's All-American to attend Syracuse, in Hillsman's second season. She came in determined to orchestrate a turnaround. And she did.
In a starting role from the first day, Morrow racked up more minutes than anyone on the team - clearly emerging as the fresh face on a new-look program. And she seemed to improve as time went on, thriving in high-pressure atmospheres. In the final five games of the season - which included a trip to No. 4 Rutgers, a game against No. 14 West Virginia, and games in the Big East and NCAA tournaments - Morrow averaged 20 points per game.
Off the court, Morrow managed to find the spotlight, too. Like when she dyed a streak of pink down the top of her hair midway through the last season. Or started a blog about Syracuse women's basketball.
Along the way, the shooting guard moved into a position of leadership on the burgeoning Syracuse squad that went 22-9 and made the NCAA Tournament. It's a spot the outgoing Morrow has always seemed to gravitate toward, from AAU basketball, to her powerhouse high school team, Murry Bergtraum in New York, to her freshman season at Syracuse, where she inverted the freshman-to-senior hierarchy to become a floor general.
"The only reason I stepped up as a leader is I felt like it was something I needed to do," Morrow said. "Because, not saying it wasn't necessarily done by other people, but … there wasn't people stepping up into that role."
Now, heading into a sophomore campaign, Hillsman is reconfiguring Morrow's role on the team: Less talking. More shooting. He's made it clear he expects Morrow to take a step back and allow the more introverted Harris to run the team from the point guard.
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