It typically only serves as preseason bantering.

But in Keith Cieplicki’s case, his words ring true. This year the Syracuse women’s basketball coach inherits a young team. All along, Cieplicki knew he had the tools to produce a successful season. The element that would determine its success is the amount of time it would take the team to become acquainted with one another and become comfortable with its team role.

After having that time to work out its kinks during its non-conference schedule, SU will face its first true test in its Big East opener when it travels to play Pittsburgh at the Petersen Events Center tonight at 7. The Panther matchup will provide the first indication of how the Orange can compete with the rest of the conference, which inherits Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville, Marquette and South Florida this year.

‘We’re in pretty good shape in terms of defining our roles and having young players really understand what they can do and can’t do,’ Cieplicki said. ‘That’s the key in terms of playing the way we’re capable of playing.

‘(But) it’s not like you ever reach a point in the (season) and you say, ‘Oh boy we’re in great shape.’ You just hope the understanding and the execution becomes consistent game to game. We have seen it two games in a row now so we’re hoping that it’s here to stay.’

The Orange’s wins against Manhattan and Buffalo raised doubts as both games weren’t decided until the last minute. Then the lopsided defeats came where Syracuse did nothing right. Sixteen and 27 point losses to Niagara and Sacred Heart, respectively, don’t indicate a young team just trying to come together. Not in regards to the Pioneer matchup, when SU had been outshot, outrebounded, and pretty much outplayed in every facet of the game.

Within two days of that 27-point shakeup to Sacred Heart, the Orange stepped on the same court at Manley Field House against Colgate and looked completely different. Vaida Sipaviciute posted a school-record 41 points. Then against Canisius, a triple-play threat on the perimeter, including Tracy Harbut, Johnson and Eckhart, emerged to mix in with the established post play. In its two victories, Lisnere and Sara Antolick also returned to the court after sitting out due to respective foot and knee injuries.

The sudden performance shift doesn’t indicate inconsistency, but indeed suggests the guards and post players have developed its niche. Nonetheless, Syracuse still faces an uncertainty on how that all pans out when it faces elevated competition from here on. Dating back to her freshman and sophomore years, Harbut remembers how drastic the jump from non-conference to conference play seemed to be. For the underclassmen in particular, Harbut knows early-season success can only be beneficial even if it doesn’t immediately translate into wins.

‘It helps players work out their mistakes,’ Harbut said. ‘It also can build confidence. We know they’re not as strong teams, but it’s still competition. If you can do well against them, it builds your confidence to do well against better teams and understand what you need to do so you don’t make the mistakes like in the earlier games.’

After Tuesday’s practice, Cieplicki raised conflictions on the status of his team. On one note, he’s surprised how fast his team has come together. He thought SU’s win over Canisius provided a good stepping stone towards conference play because it was a ‘really hard fought game and had a little bit of a Big East feel to it’ in terms of physical play. Cieplicki also appreciates SU’s attitudes towards practice.

On Tuesday, for example, players looked focused performing the drills at hand while at the same time occasionally teasing each other to create a light-hearted yet intense atmosphere.

Cieplicki is mindful of what his young team is up against. Panthers’ center Marcedes Walker does wonders in the paint, averaging 15 points thus far. In practice Cieplicki ran double team drills to specifically address Walker’s threat inside. Overall, he’s concerned about the Orange not knocking down shots against a better defensive Panther team as well as his team becoming rattled if Pittsburgh makes a run.

The first Big East conference game will provide much more physicality than SU has been used to. Cieplicki isn’t particularly concerned about the guards because he thinks Eckhart and Johnson have truly emerged and shown a capability to adapt to competitive change. He also said the referees will tend to call more fouls on the perimeter ‘because everybody watches it.’ Inside will prove to be more physical and Cieplicki is hopeful that players like Sipaviciute, Lisnere, Antolick and Keri Laimbeer keep that intensity without committing unnecessary fouls.

‘I give this group a lot of credit for being mature for being so young,’ Cieplicki said. ‘It’s a real fortunate thing to come to work everyday and know I don’t have to motivate the players to work hard. We just have to teach them how to get better. Any coach will tell you that you’re starting way ahead of the game if that’s the case.’

Published on December 7, 2005 at 12:00 pm