Quentin Hillsman clapped his hands three times, shuffled his feet and shook his hips. He was demonstrating what his players do when the starting lineup is announced prior to each game.

Sophomore forward Isabella Slim has performed this tradition before all 51 games in her career, but is seventh on the team in minutes this season with 12.4 per game, about 13 less than any other starter, for the No. 23 Orange (13-5, 3-2 Atlantic Coast).

“I think people get caught up in the little routine,” Hillsman, the SU head coach, said. “It don’t matter. That’s like so important to everybody.”

While Slim’s limited playing time is unusual for a starter, Hillsman has deployed the same strategy he used last year, when she averaged 13.8 minutes per game as a starter. Similar to last year, Slim has continued to struggle offensively, averaging 2.3 points and 2.4 rebounds this season.

Hillsman’s explanation to keep her on the floor is simple. Her job is stay behind the 3-point line and open up space for teammates by extending the defense. But so far this season, she’s been ineffective, making only 10-of-36 3-pointers.

“Once I get the ball, they’ll yell ‘That’s a shooter, you got to guard her.’ That’s what I notice most,” Slim said. “They’ve been calling ‘shooter’ a lot.

“They just don’t give me any open looks.”

Recently, Slim has been slumping even worse. In SU’s past nine games, she’s scored nine points, shot 3-for-13 from the field and 2-for-9 on 3s in 92 minutes. Meanwhile, Taylor Ford, the player that usually subs in for her, has been playing some of her best basketball of the season. In the same nine games, Ford has scored 69 points, shot 28-of-53 from the field and 4-of-18 from behind the arc in 180 minutes.

Against Virginia on Jan. 11, Slim committed a foul, had a turnover, missed a 3 and committed another foul before subbing out for Ford less than two minutes into the game.

On the first possession of Thursday’s game against Wake Forest, Slim attempted an entry pass to Briana Day under the basket. The ball was thrown too high, out of Day’s reach and bounced out of bounds. Hillsman yelled “Isabella, wake up please” from the sideline.

Hillsman said the reason Slim doesn’t play as much is because of her lack of versatility. Cornelia Fondren and Ford, who are both more athletic than Slim, are better fits in his full-court press. By playing four guards at once, Syracuse is better equipped to execute Hillsman’s preferred up-and-down style, and thus Slim is kept out of the game.

“Especially in a close game, I think everyone takes pride if you’re in at the end of the game,” Ford said, “because obviously Coach trusts you to help your team win.”

With Slim barely playing in the second half in conference play, it’s Ford who has claimed a majority of playing time late in games.

Though Hillsman said it’s not about trust, his lineups reflect what he thinks gives SU the best chance to win — and Slim hasn’t been in the mix.

“I think it’s just a learning experience,” Slim said. “I just have to learn some more of the stuff and once I get better, I’ll get an opportunity to play during those times, too.”

Published on January 21, 2015 at 12:38 am

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