Boeheim influences women’s team, too
There’s a special bond when it comes to basketball at Syracuse.
The men’s and women’s teams are playing in the Final Four this weekend, marking the 12th time that has happened since the women’s tournament began in 1982 and making Syracuse the ninth school to accomplish the feat.
But the relationship goes beyond court achievements. Women’s coach Quentin Hillsman has given men’s coach Jim Boeheim credit for his program’s success. They share a facility. They reference each other in news conferences.
When Hillsman first took over the program a decade ago, he walked into Boeheim’s office and asked him why he played a 2-3 zone. This turned into a longer meeting in which Boeheim ended up persuading Hillsman to also use it.
He wasn’t a zone coach before, but it’s proved somewhat effective in the women’s game. The Orange rank 77th in scoring defense but are second in the country in steals.
This week, Hillsman discussed how he keeps developing and improving the scheme. It will be on display Sunday when Syracuse plays Washington in Indianapolis (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2).
“I think, for me, it’s more watching and more watching how he manages in-game situations,” Hillsman said of Boeheim. “So you can talk about it a lot, but until you manage it in a game, it’s tough. And he’s just been a great resource for me, just being able to watch practice whenever I need to, and if I have a question, I can ask him a question if I need to.
“But more than anything, you look at the window and you see all these banners here, and you see the success they’ve had with this program and with his style of play and his style of player, and you can see how you can win a lot of games doing that. So we’ve just kind of adopted that, that the best learning tool is watching and being in that moment. And I have a great opportunity every day to watch and be in the moment of what I would say is the best coach, the best zone coach in the country.”
The coaches have talked this week as they prepare for their respective semifinals. Hillsman, who is coaching in his first Final Four as opposed to Boeheim’s fifth, said he didn’t really ask for advice but rather just chatted about what his weekend means for their programs.
And even though the men play North Carolina late Saturday in Houston (8:49 p.m. ET, TBS), the women will be watching. The support is mutual.
“There’s no question we’re going to be watching these games rooting each other, rooting each other on to the championship games,” Hillsman said.