On a Sunday night, Anne Marie Doidick went to Manley Field House for a late evening workout.

The freshman walk-on didn’t expect anyone to be in the building during the wee hours. But when she walked into the building she noticed a flicker of light beaming from the coach’s office.

Quinton Hillsman is still working, Marie Doidick concluded.

After being named the interim head coaching after Keith Cieplicki resigned June 6, Hillsman jokes he puts in 16-hour work days now as SU’s full time coach.

He has to attend more administrative-style meetings than he could ever imagine. Nonetheless, he insists his role does not deviate from the one he had as an assistant coach last year. He’s still involved with recruiting efforts and he still conducts individual workouts with the Orange’s guards.

But more importantly, Hillsman is now in charge of restoring a team that Cieplicki left underdeveloped and divided that has had no history of success.

Cieplicki declined to be interviewed for this story.

‘The main thing we’re going to do is create a positive environment,’ Hillsman said. ‘We need a high level of commitment and intensity on the floor.’

In Cieplicki’s three years, Syracuse went 9-39 in the Big East and 27-45 overall. Guard Amanda Adamson transferred to New Mexico on June 1, five days before Cieplicki’s resignation, due to what she saw as inconsistent expectations.

Guard Jenny Eckhart left in August because Cieplicki’s departure only compounded her frustration, because the assistant coaches who recruited her, Morgan Hall and Mandy Ronaya, left SU before Eckhart arrived on campus last year.

In all, seven players, two assistant coaches and one director of operations left Syracuse since 2004. Three of those players accused Cieplicki of threatening scholarships, racism and acting disrespectfully toward players and administrators. Cieplicki and former athletic director Jake Crouthamel denied the claims.

And since 1987, SU has not had a winning season in the Big East.

It seems to be a huge cleanup project, but Hillsman has already made several significant benchmarks to revert the losing track.

He nabbed two recruits: Monroe Community College transfer Fantasia Goodwin and Nicole Michael, the No. 50 prospect according to the All-Star Girls Report. SU center Vaida Sipaviciute played for Hillsman at Patterson School in North Carolina and saw the pleasant personality early on that appealed to recruits.

‘He cared more about me as a person,’ Michael said of Hillsman. ‘He kept track of my grades, my senior year in high school and he connected with me on a personal level.’

Hillsman uses an up-tempo offense and is trying to make that possible by setting up an enhanced conditioning program that includes more sprints, more endurance training and more weight lifting.

One particular drill reflects the intensity Hillsman wants to bring. In a drill SU guard Cintia Johnson termed ‘4-8-16 crosscourts,’ Hillsman requires his guards to finish at least two seconds before the post players. If not, they run the drills until they reach the goal.

SU forward Lina Lisnere jokes that doesn’t always happen. But Hillsman’s intent clearly shows accountability.

‘I already feel like we are better than last year,’ Lisnere said. ‘The way our practices are set, the attitude from the coaching staff and the player’s attitude all have been good. Basically, we’re a new team with a new attitude and a new way of playing.’

That’s possible because Hillsman doesn’t bite his tongue. His fiery attitude will cause him to tell a player instantly what he thinks of their play. Certainly that’s not always positive, but at times it is.

‘You know what to expect from him,’ SU guard Ashley McMillen said. ‘There are no surprises. You know where you stand everyday. It’s very easy to play for a coach like that where there aren’t any guesses.’

Quite the contrary to what SU experienced last year. Players said problems such as the ones experienced by Marchelle Campbell, Tierra Jackson and April Jean, who accused Cieplicki of being racist, were not present last year. But former SU player and 2006 graduate Jill Norton acknowledged frustration among a wide range of players due to unclear expectations.

Players such as Tracy Harbut, Sipaviciute and Eckhart received considerable playing time given they were the three leading scorers on the team. But for players like Adamson, Johnson and Keri Laimbeer, much of their role was undefined.

And for players like Lisnere, Brittany Smith, McMillen, Sara Antolick and Mary Joe Riley, they had to hear Cieplicki portraying a ‘woe is me’ mantra that he lost those players to injuries.

With those split roles, Norton noticed rumblings, but ones that were spoken under the breath. She felt no one wanted to take out his or her frustrations in fear of causing divisions on the team. But without that dialogue, Norton thought it translated on the court where Syracuse often played passively.

‘We were too nice to each other,’ Norton said. ‘No one wanted to yell at each other. At halftime everyone was quiet. There had to be a maturity level though where we could step up and speak what’s on our minds and yell at each other. As long as we knew we’re leaving it in the locker room.’

That never happened.

Numerous players said Cieplicki ran 15 different offenses in practice but employed very little of it during games. Adamson said Cieplicki specifically forbid McMillen from dribbling, a claim McMillen refused to discuss but did not dispute. Cieplicki mainly instructed his players to find Sipaviciute inside.

It worked at first. She dominated non-conference play, including 41 points against Colgate on Nov. 29. When Big East competition started, she met more height and double-teams. To compensate Harbut drove to the basket and Eckhart shot from outside, but their 36 and 39 respective shooting percentages suggested inconsistency.

Cieplicki also devoted little time to game film. While players said they would watch film of past and upcoming opponents, Cieplicki rarely paused the tape to point out tendencies.

Players’ philosophies differed on this issue. Eckhart preferred practicing on the court to watching film. But for players like Laimbeer, film study could provide reinforcement and perspective.

‘It gave us a disadvantage because other teams were scouting us,’ Laimbeer said. ‘They knew what we were going to do. But we went into games blind.’

Hillsman wouldn’t discuss last year’s coaching decision matters because he didn’t want to speak incorrectly on Cieplicki’s behalf. But he’s pledged to be open with every player and not let an obstacle, such as team injuries, allow his team to fail. At least not so without making due.

Just this past week, Harbut, Lisnere, McMillen and Smith sat out with injuries during the Orange’s exhibition game against Team Adidas. To compensate, Hillsman shuffled seven players quickly to keep them fresh, including walk-ons Marie Doidick and Cossondra Covington. It resulted in a 68-66 overtime loss.

‘We prepared to win every game but it’s hard to say they’re wrong or right,’ Hillsman said of his players. ‘But it’s great they see that and say they want more. If they want to do that, they’re going to get a lot more of it this year.’

Published on November 6, 2006 at 12:00 pm