As dawn broke April 30, so did a new chapter in Keith Cieplicki’s life. The former Vermont women’s basketball head coach hopped in his black Subaru Forrester at 6 a.m. and made the five-hour drive from Burlington, Vt., to Syracuse.

The purpose? To sit next to Director of Athletics Jake Crouthamel at a noon press conference at which he officially became the fourth head coach in Syracuse women’s basketball history.

After the press conference, Cieplicki slipped out of Manley Field House and back into his SUV, already heading back to Vermont to tie up loose ends.

Fittingly, Cieplicki’s first action as SU head coach was a quick turnaround.

Cieplicki will need to do just that as Marianna Freeman’s replacement, but on the hardcourt of Manley rather than Interstate 90. SU finished 10-18 last season, and during Freeman’s 10 years at SU, the Orangewomen went 104-174 overall and 56-116 in the Big East.

“There is no doubt in my mind that this is a place I’ll love to come to,” Cieplicki said. “All I can assure you is that I’m going to work harder than anyone to make this program as successful as it can be.”

Cieplicki said he will bring most of his staff to SU. One assistant, Jen Niebling, was named the head coach at St. Michael’s on April 28, and her position needs to be filled.

Cieplicki emerged as the leading candidate during Crouthamel’s search process. His combination of experience — more than Crouthamel’s preferred five years — and recruiting savvy made him a clear choice.

“We didn’t write this position description because it fit Keith,” Crouthamel said. “But it is by no chance that it does fit Keith.”

In Cieplicki, the program accustomed to losing will get a coach accustomed to winning. At Vermont, Cieplicki guided the Catamounts to a 127-53 record. Cieplicki oversaw four 20-win seasons in his six years at Vermont, including last season’s 21-8 campaign.

Cieplicki went 6 for 6 in winning seasons at UVM. Freeman, meanwhile, went 1 for 10 at Syracuse.

Of course, Cieplicki’s work came in the America East. There, a trip to Hartford meant playing Hartford at sleepy Chase Family Arena. Now, it’ll be two-time defending national champion Connecticut at the Hartford Civic Center.

“It’s definitely going to be a transition,” said sophomore Catamount Lani Boardman.

Cieplicki does have history on his side. In 1993, former UVM coach Cathy Inglese defected from Vermont to coach Boston College and took the Eagles from a Big East also-ran to the conference’s elite. Inglese has accumulated a 169-123 record in 10 seasons at BC.

For four of those campaigns, Cieplicki was a member of Inglese’s staff.

“It’s a huge help,” Cieplicki said. “It’s a huge advantage to have been in this league before. It gives me a little bit of a comfort level.”

Cieplicki will also draw an advantage from his intense competitive attitude. On one bus trip, Cieplicki fumed after Boardman beat him in a game of “snake” on their cell phones and wouldn’t let Boardman leave until he played — and beat — her in memory, another cell phone game.

“Oh, for sure, he’s a very competitive guy,” Boardman said. “He’ll always be excited about taking on challenges.”

The challenge he faces now is trickier than putting toothpaste back in the tube. With three NCAA Tournament appearances in the program’s history and one in the last 15 years, the Orangewomen play in a culture of losing. Cieplicki plans to change this by emphasizing recruiting, his specialty.

When Crouthamel informed Cieplicki he chose him for the job, Cieplicki told Crouthamel, “I want you to know I’m going to start recruiting right after the press conference.”

“Recruiting is No. 1,” Cieplicki said. “Recruiting is probably No. 2. And recruiting is probably No. 3.”

Away from the court, the jump to Syracuse is daunting as well. Cieplicki is firmly entrenched in the Burlington community, and the majority of his family lives in Vermont.

“Everyone in the state knows him, I’m sure,” Boardman said.

But Cieplicki is comfortable with the move to his new home — even the weather.

“It was a big decision,” Cieplicki said. “This is a beautiful area. You’ve got to understand, we’re moving south. This is a better climate.”

Published on May 7, 2003 at 12:00 pm