Syracuse women’s basketball head coach Keith Cieplicki gathered his team at the center of the basketball court at Manley Field House. The team just finished another practice, and Cieplicki calmly lectured as his team stood around him.

‘For the seniors, it’s their last home game, so we want to put up a good showing,’ Cieplicki said. ‘If we all bring energy and we play our game, I like our chances.’

For 20 minutes, the Orange intently listened to its coach as he spoke about how it needed to have energy in its next game, how it needed to play smart on offense and how it needed to rebound. But four Syracuse players didn’t need Cieplicki’s speech.

Syracuse takes the floor at Manley Field House for the last time this season at 7 p.m. tomorrow against Seton Hall. SU’s four seniors have all the motivation they need. As SU lingers at the bottom of the Big East with just two games left, a win could boost it in the standings and send the seniors off in a more memorable fashion.

‘I really don’t get excited until the day of or hours before things happen,’ SU senior Rochelle Coleman said. ‘But it’s very important. We need this game for standings and everything going into the tournament. We have to win this game.’

Despite tomorrow’s game being dubbed ‘Senior Day,’ the Orange insists it’s just another game. Earning a Big East win and trying to move up to the 10th seed in the Big East tournament is more important than any pregame ceremony, Coleman said.

While Cieplicki acknowledges the game holds a special significance to the seniors, he said a win will mean much more to them than playing time. Each of the seniors will start, but the normal starting lineup will eventually replace them.

‘It’s nothing special,’ senior Krystalyn Ellerbe said. ‘It’s a game. We need to come out and play hard for 40 minutes, not for 29 minutes. It all comes down to playing hard. If I get in, I’ll go out and play hard, do what I’m supposed to do. If I don’t, I’ll sit on the bench and cheer on my teammates.’

Syracuse’s performance in Big East play this year has been below its own expectations, senior forward Chineze Nwagbo said. But despite the frustration of being on a team in the middle of a rebuilding phase, a win in her final home game could wipe away some of the sourness.

‘We’ve lost a lot in the Big East, but we’re definitely competing,’ Nwagbo said. ‘(This game) means a lot to me. I’ve been here five years. I experienced a lot here athletically and academically. It’s gonna be a good game. I can’t believe it’s here already. It seems like just yesterday I stepped on the campus.’

Published on February 23, 2005 at 12:00 pm