Her idea of going to college is practically going to the school next door, so she can still enjoy the luxuries of being close to home.

When freshman guard Cintia Johnson committed to the Syracuse women’s basketball team, she knew she could pick up a lot of minutes for what SU head coach Keith Cieplicki envisions as an up-and-coming program. But more importantly, Johnson could keep in touch with her family, which lives just a few minutes from Manley Field House.

‘She enjoys the independence of being out on her own,’ said Diedra Glenn, Johnson’s mother. ‘But she wants to be around the corner from home.’

Not only does it allow Johnson to come back to her house every weekend, it also allows her family to see most of Johnson’s games. When Syracuse faces St. John’s on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Manley Field House, Cintia’s family will certainly be there supporting her.

Glenn constantly juggled, and still does, seeing her children play basketball. Her son, Thomas Cheek, played for Nottingham High School in Syracuse until 2002, while Cintia and her sister Cint played at the same school until last year. Cintia’s younger brother, Tyshon, currently plays for Nottingham as a sophomore.

As a basketball family, it became difficult for Glenn to see every game. Children’s schedules conflicted, and she wanted to show equal attention. She mapped out a plan in which she watched her children’s games evenly. But by the time one of her children became a senior, she focused her attention on that player as a way to reward his or her hard work before graduation.

As a former basketball player for Nottingham High School as well, Glenn taught the fundamentals to her children, passing her talent onto them. When Johnson was 5 years old, she started embracing the tomboy image, playing football and wearing baggy clothing. But soon enough Glenn and Cheek introduced her to a ball and a hoop.

‘I just used to bring her with me, and she would watch what I do,’ Cheek said. ‘I’d have her repeat it. She just sharpened her skills, and she got good at it.’

Johnson became so good that she immediately established herself as a member of the Boys & Girls Club when she was 7 years old. Later on, she played organized basketball in seventh grade. By the time she stepped on the floor for Nottingham, she became what Griffin and Nottingham head coach Greg Jones terms a ‘floor general.’ She ran up and down the floor, found open teammates and drove the lane – all in a fast-tempo offense that stressed transition baskets.

Despite being listed at 5-foot-4, Johnson never shied away inside, either. Against Colgate on Nov. 29, she grabbed eight rebounds. Against Louisville on Feb. 12, she grabbed nine.

‘It’s great being a point guard because you are a leader and a motivator,’ Johnson said. ‘People on the team have to listen to you because you’re the main prospect out here. I’m the underdog and the smallest person on the team. I wouldn’t say people look up to me. But they look down on me – in a good way.’

‘I’m really happy for her, because we didn’t know to what degree if she would be able to play right away,’ Cieplicki said. ‘She’s played herself into the lineup. She raises the level of intensity of our team.’

Even though Glenn said she respects what the SU coaching staff is doing, she can’t help but think that Johnson’s play has been much different than it was in high school. To Glenn, she feels like her daughter hasn’t been able to fully utilize her strengths to help the Orange. As a former basketball player herself, she often talks to Johnson after the games, evaluating what went right or what went wrong.

Glenn hasn’t seen any practices, but wonders why everything hasn’t come together for Cintia and the Orange like she envisioned it could be.

‘Cintia was more of an aggressive player,’ Glenn said. ‘She shot more. I don’t know the different coaching tactics. She’s happy so I have to be happy with her. It’s different seeing her play differently. She was more aggressive on defense and it was more fast-paced for her. (But) I haven’t seen a fast break all year.

‘That’s the way (Cieplicki) wants things done,’ she added. ‘It’s kind of like Cintia’s skills are being held back to me. She’s a much quicker player. (But) she’s adjusting so she’s okay with that.

‘I don’t really see her as a threat out there because she isn’t shooting. She isn’t penetrating. Is she the only guard in America who doesn’t shoot the ball? She goes by what she’s told to do.’

As evident against Connecticut last Wednesday, Syracuse tried to score an upset by slowing the tempo down and by taking the No. 8 Huskies out of their rhythm. It worked in the first half as SU led 23-20 going into the locker room. But UConn stormed out the next half and won the game, 65-36. It happened similarly against other teams like Notre Dame and Georgetown.

Even though Cieplicki has stressed for his team to shoot at any opportunity it can find, many of the players are apprehensive partly because they have struggled putting the ball in the basket.

Jones, Johnson’s high school coach, puts things more in context for the way it has been different for Johnson in high school and college. At this time, Jones thinks Johnson has made the necessary adjustments in the time being.

‘Our style at our high school is a little bit different,’ Jones said. ‘That’s not me saying anything derogatory – they’re just different styles. I’m careful choosing my words. But eventually she will probably turn her moves up a little bit. For her freshman year, (the SU coaching staff) wanted to bring her in slowly and make the transition first.’

Despite the struggles, Glenn has been supportive of her daughter. Like when she taught Johnson the basketball fundamentals and attended her games, she still does as her daughter is now in college.

‘They have the potential for next year,’ Glenn said. ‘The SU girls will shock everybody next year.’

Published on February 23, 2006 at 12:00 pm