After sitting out the 2009-10 season, Iasia Hemingway stepped right into Syracuse’s starting lineup.

Head coach Quentin Hillsman placed Hemingway in the high post, making her the focal point of the offense and putting more pressure on the forward than she had ever felt in her basketball career.

But she was determined to thrive under that pressure.

‘Once he put me there, he told me what he needed me to do,’ Hemingway said. ‘I already had my mind set on making sure I did whatever I had to do for my team.

‘If he put me in the post, if he put me in the high-low, shooting 3s, regardless, I had to make sure I was going to be good at whatever he wanted me to do to make sure I could help my team be successful.’

Hemingway has done just that in her two seasons at Syracuse. The Georgia Tech transfer has scored more than 900 points with the Orange, surpassing 1,500 for her career. This season, the SU forward leads the team with 15.5 points per game and earned All-Big East second team honors.

The senior’s career is coming to a close as Syracuse waits to learn its postseason fate. The Orange (18-14, 6-10 Big East) struggled through a disappointing season and will likely compete in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, missing the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight year.

Though Hemingway — who played in the tournament with Georgia Tech in 2008 and 2009 — will likely leave SU without returning to the Big Dance, Hillsman and her teammates say her contributions to the program are undeniable.

‘When you look at what she’s done as a basketball player at Tech and here,’ Hillsman said, ‘we can’t say enough about her effort and the things she does night in and night out.’

Night in and night out, Hillsman and the Orange depend on Hemingway to power the offense. SU runs a simple high-low set every time down the floor.

Hemingway stations herself at the elbow and works to receive a pass from the guards. That’s when the offense begins.

Time and time again, she puts her head down and drives down the lane for a layup. And if she chooses not to penetrate, she turns, holds the ball above her head and lofts a perfectly placed lob to center Kayla Alexander on the block.

Meanwhile, opponents know what’s coming every time down the floor. Still, Hemingway has remained productive as SU’s go-to player all season.

‘She’s a beast. We all know that,’ Alexander said. ‘She can attack the basket from anywhere around the paint. She can knock down the 15, 17-foot jump shot. She’s a rebounding machine. She’s physical and she’s a presence out there’

For Hemingway, the opportunities all began when she took over at the high post for Nicole Michael, who finished her career as Syracuse’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder after last season.

But Hemingway began preparing for that role during the 2009-10 season, which she had to sit out due to transfer rules.

Hemingway said her teammates made her feel a part of the team even though she couldn’t suit up and play with them on game day. And Michael was her biggest influence in helping her adjust to Hillsman’s coaching and system.

‘Nicole Michael always made sure, like ‘Iasia well this is what he likes, this is what he doesn’t like, this is his style of play and this is what he needs you to do for next year,” Hemingway said. ‘So it was more so like, ‘OK, I’m feeling comfortable, they’re making me feel like I’m here even though I wasn’t playing.”

Before Hillsman told her what she needed to do in the high post, Hemingway already knew what to expect.

Two years later, Alexander believes Hemingway lived up to the high expectations that come with playing the high post at Syracuse. The center developed and grew into a force inside with the forward feeding her down low.

And now, Alexander doesn’t know what to expect without Hemingway in the lineup next year. With a sigh and a smile, the center admits she’ll miss playing with the senior.

‘She always gets it done,’ Alexander said. ‘She’s like our leading scorer, too. She’s like our go-to player, too, so it’s going to be hard to replace her next year.’

rjgery@syr.edu

Published on March 5, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Ryne: rjgery@syr.edu