Julie Cross picked up her first start of the season as Syracuse’s draw specialist last Thursday in a win over Albany.

She took the first two draws of the game, winning one. But the third draw was taken by Morgan Widner. The two rotated most of the first half.

Then, just before halftime, Widner tore the ACL and meniscus in her right knee. In the second half against Albany and now going forward, the draw is Cross’ to win — or lose.

“I knew that I had to step up,” Cross said. “… In that moment I’m just thinking I’ve got to work as hard as I can, not only for myself or my team but for Morgan.”

Widner will miss the rest of the season with her knee injury. Cross, who entered the campaign as Widner’s assumed backup, becomes the starter for No. 7 Syracuse (3-0). No one on the roster beside those two has taken a draw this season. The coaching staff has named Grace Fahey, a freshman, the backup to Cross, but it’ll be Cross assuming a role she anticipated sharing with Widner.

“I obviously am going to step into a bigger role now,” Cross said. “I think just the trust in my teammates is going to be really crucial.”

At 6-foot-1, the draw has always been a natural spot for Cross to contribute. At Syracuse, though, the position has been crowded. Cross, a junior, sat behind all-time great Kayla Treanor in her first season on campus. Then, Widner came in for 2017 and set the SU single-season freshman draws record.

Those two standout performers minimized Cross’ draw reps. Her freshman season ended with just three draw controls. She jumped up to 14 in her sophomore year. So far this season, Cross has won 12 draws.

With a thinner depth chart, Syracuse will likely stick with Cross even when she struggles. She’ll have to mix up her strategy to ensure the increased frequency of draw attempts doesn’t result in a lower success rate.

“It’s going to be a lot of pressure,” Cross said. “But I think I can handle it mentally and physically.”

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A lot of work goes into winning a draw. Cross emphasized how important film will be for her to be prepared for an opposing draw specialist. In the past, Cross has almost always relied on using power to win draws while Widner used finesse. But now, Cross said she needs to add finesse to her game as well.

To help her on each variety of draw, Cross said that there’s a power stick and a finesse stick. When asked about the difference, Cross said that the power stick is stronger but then laughed and said there wasn’t much difference. It comes down to reacting to her opponent, the ball placement and the referee’s whistle, she said.

Syracuse assistant coach Regy Thorpe and Cross both emphasized the importance of wing play on draws, especially with this season’s new rules. Only three players, including the draw taker, can be inside the circle when play is initiated. With fewer players in the circle, the draw taker can be strategic and aim for a wing instead of just flicking the ball straight up. That leads to more 50-50 balls and, at least conceptually, less dependence on the draw specialist to dominate single-handedly.

“If I can’t get (the draw) how I want to, I’m going to start relying more on the circle,” Cross said.

Cross won’t be totally alone in taking draws. Instead of practicing them with Widner, she’s practiced with Fahey this week. The freshman from Boxford, Massachusetts, took draws in high school and would have been next up to take one against Albany if Cross needed a break, Fahey said. She worked sparingly on draws earlier in the season when the two players in front of her were healthy, but it’s become a more frequent aspect of her practices since Widner’s injury.

Regardless of who heads out to the faceoff X at No. 11 Virginia on Sunday to take draws, it’ll be a group effort with the draw taker and the wings. Thorpe emphasized that the loss of Widner hurts but spoke also to the “next-man up” mentality that all the players have. That mindset sets Cross up to not miss a beat in the bigger role she now finds herself in.

“I need to buy in and realize that now I’m going to be the girl taking the draw,” Cross said. “If I mess up, if I have a bad day, I’m going to need to fix it then.”

Published on March 1, 2018 at 12:30 am

Contact Billy: wmheyen@syr.edu | @Wheyen3