After missing two game-winning shots this season, Erica Morrow can finally say she isn’t nervous anymore. In fact, the misses have made her want the ball even more.

The Syracuse women’s basketball’s starting shooting guard – and the jewel of head coach Quentin Hillsman’s freshmen class – has been her coach’s go-to player when the game is on the line, all season. And, make it or miss it, Hillsman is emphatic the show will always be hers for the taking.

Syracuse (17-3, 5-2) will hit the road Saturday for a 3 p.m. tip at Georgetown (11-9, 1-6).

Whether it was the potential game-winner Morrow threw up against Connecticut – which was an air ball – or Tuesday night’s missed attempt to break a 66 tie with 12 seconds left – which Chandrea Jones put back to give SU the win – nothing can break Hillsman’s confidence in his star player.

‘That’s our play at the end every game,’ Hillsman said after the UConn game. ‘If I have to do that for the next three and a half years with her, she is going to take that shot.’

Hillsman has repeated that vow throughout the season, and the vote of confidence has made Morrow not hesitate to pull the trigger on the game-winner. While she knows those shots will become more and more important as the teams approach the postseason, her confidence rises with each attempt.

‘It’s a big confidence booster to know that as a freshman, coach is willing to put the ball in my hands at times like that,’ Morrow said.

It’s not just that Hillsman encourages his players to take shots; he punishes them if they don’t. After freshman Marisa Gobuty started the year 0-for-10 from 3, Hillsman started pulling her from games when she became hesitant and passed up open shots. The result: She’s 8 for her last 14 from deep.

‘Either she can shoot it and stay in or not shoot it and sit on the bench,’ Hillsman said Saturday after Gobuty went 2-of-3 from deep.

For all his players, not just his shooters, Hillsman has placed a strong emphasis this season on aggression. In practice and in games, the coach is constantly chiding his players to play with confidence and not to pass up an open shot or lane.

‘He talks about it every day,’ forward Nicole Michael said. ‘He talks about aggression, he talks about intensity. We have to have those things in order to win games, especially in the Big East.’

Hillsman’s theory about being aggressive is simple: If a player isn’t taking open shots, they’re not a threat to score. And if a player isn’t a scoring threat, he doesn’t want them on the court.

‘We don’t put kids on the floor that can’t make plays,’ Hillsman said.

Having a deep bench, with 10 players averaging double-figure minutes, Hillsman has plenty of options if he’s not happy with a starter.

‘You have no excuse to not go hard,’ Michael said. ‘You’re not on the court for 40 minutes straight, so when you’re out there give it all you’ve got, you know you’ve got a sub coming in, and you know they’re going to do just as good as you are.’

The liberal shooting has been a major part of Syracuse’s resurgence this year. Shot attempts are up from last year – from 55.8 to 61.8 – and as a result, so is scoring. The Orange is averaging 74 points per game, fifth in the Big East, compared to 58.4 last season.

At times, good things have happened for the Orange even when those shots don’t find the bottom of the net. On Tuesday, Morrow’s missed shot turned into a made opportunity for her teammate.

‘If I wouldn’t have taken the 3-pointer, she would have never gotten the rebound, and we would have never been winning,’ Morrow said. ‘It’s like a domino effect.’

Heading into the stretch run of the season, and with the Big East standings falling into place, Hillsman knows the difficulty of the conference means his team must take advantage of every scoring opportunity.

‘You have to be aggressive and take every open shot,’ Hillsman said. ‘A lot of times in this conference, because the defense is so good, if you pass up a shot, you probably won’t get that same shot again. So to me it’s very important that if you get a wide open look, you take the shot.’

Published on January 31, 2008 at 12:00 pm