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As the anchor of the 1-2-2 full-court press, Teisha Hyman knows where Chrislyn Carr and Najé Murray are behind her at all times, without ever having to look back. Hyman doesn’t know exactly how to describe it, but she has a “little thing going on” with the duo that allows her to focus on the opponent dribbling the ball in front of her.

Then, while stretching her arms and shuffling backwards, Hyman darts at the first opportunity for a steal. In the third quarter against Georgia Tech, she didn’t drop back after Murray scored, Instead, Hyman poked the ball out from Eylia Love and headed directly toward the basket for a layup.

But if an opponent gets past Hyman, Murray and Chrislyn have the ability to make a play, mimicking Hyman’s stance as they each take on one opponent. And in Syracuse’s final line of defense, Christianna Carr and Alaysia Styles drop back as far as possible to stop a fast break opportunity. Styles bullets toward one side if she sees a chance to intercept the ball, which she did directly after Hyman’s scoop-and-score against Georgia Tech.

“We have a really quick front line with our press and a back line with (Christianna) and Styles,” Murray said. “It’s pretty hard to get the ball past half court. We prioritize that.”

The full-court press has emerged as Syracuse’s (8-9, 1-6 Atlantic Coast) secret weapon on defense this season, confusing some of the conference’s best offenses and completely dominating the game clock against nonconference teams. The Orange have applied the press less frequently in recent games, though acting head coach Vonn Read said he would like to press for all 40 minutes. But SU still leads the conference in steals per game with 10.53 and forced a season-high 33 turnovers earlier in the season against Monmouth.

Last season, using a similar press, the Orange averaged 7.7 steals per game, although the press’s personnel was completely different, as Hyman was out with a torn ACL and the rest of their starting five transferred to SU before this season. Read said the press has always been “a part of Syracuse basketball’s identity,” along with other systems like the 2-3 zone.

“I like to play zone because it complements the press, and I really like the press,” Read said. “It’s kind of easier to fall back into a zone than it is trying to get matched up against a man.”

The press also pairs well with Syracuse’s speed, which has made up for its lack of size at every position. The speed helps in transition play, but the defensive impact was immediate as the Orange notched a season-high 17 steals twice — against Monmouth and Central Connecticut State. Throughout SU’s nonconference schedule, it averaged 11.8 steals per game.

Against Central Connecticut State, Hyman finished with 11 steals on her way to the program’s fifth triple-double. The Orange started the game in the press, allowing Murray to get a steal less than two minutes in. At the end of the second quarter, Chrislyn anchored the press following a jumper, and in Hyman’s position, she was able to poke the ball out from a CCSU player and beat two defenders for a basket.

The Orange usually implement the press after their offense has gone on a run, allowing them to sustain that lead by applying pressure on the opposition and keeping the game clock in their control. This worked against weaker opponents like Monmouth, CCSU and UMBC, but against tougher opponents, extending those runs proved to be a challenge.

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In their win over Monmouth, the Orange’s defense held the Hawks to just 46 points, but this faltered four days later against Notre Dame. Syracuse kept the game close until the fourth quarter, but the Fighting Irish ended the final eight minutes on a 21-0 run, not allowing SU to even use the press as it intended.

“We just weren’t able to sustain it because we couldn’t get in our press because they were making shots,” Read said.

The Orange got reacclimated into their press during their six-game win streak in December, returning to the regular setup of Hyman at the forefront with Chrislyn and Murray trailing.

But before Syracuse faced North Carolina, four players were ruled out due to COVID-19 protocol, including Murray and Styles. Because of this, the press had to be adjusted, with Syracuse having to rely on its depth, bringing in freshman Julianna Walker into a position she wasn’t used to playing, Read said. UNC handed the undermanned SU its biggest loss of the year, 79-43.

Since then, Read has had his players use the press “sparingly,” only utilizing it in close-game situations. And with the losses of Eboni Walker and Jayla Thornton, SU moved to a six-player rotation, only bringing Alaina Rice off the bench.

“Because we shrunk our bench a little bit, we just don’t press as much,” Read said. “We pick and choose as much as we can. It’s dictated on how the players are feeling.”

Still, when Hyman, Murray or Chrislyn score in transition, the Orange are able to quickly move back into the press, with each player knowing their exact spot on the court to create more confusion for the opponent.

After a strong defensive performance in its 30-point win over Cornell, Syracuse picked up its only conference win thus far over Clemson on Dec. 11. In the final three minutes of the first quarter, the Orange had a two-point lead over the Tigers. Setting up in the press, Hyman, Murray and Chrislyn closed up all passing lanes as Clemson’s Kiara Lewis brought the ball up the floor.

With no open options, Lewis heaved the ball past half court to create a fast break opportunity for the Tigers. But in the final line of the 1-2-2, Christianna intercepted Lewis’ pass. She passed to Hyman in transition, and Hyman sent it back to Christianna for a wing 3-pointer, expanding the Orange’s lead, which they wouldn’t relinquish, to five.

“If you play good defense and hard defense, offense will just naturally come,” Murray said after the Clemson game. “Our defense is what won us the game tonight.”

Published on January 25, 2022 at 11:40 pm

Contact Anish: [email protected] | @anish_vasu