When Teisha Hyman checked into Nov. 24’s game against then-No. 1 Oregon, she wasn’t worried about facing reigning Wooden Award winner Sabrina Ionescu or making a mistake that could get her removed from the game by SU head coach Quentin Hillsman. As the second quarter progressed, Hyman said she wasn’t even nervous in her first regular season appearance. 

“My mindset was don’t get scored on,” Hyman said. “Play good defense.”

In five minutes against Ducks, Hyman looked assertive — she played point guard, pushed the ball up the court, took two shots and didn’t get scored on. She fit into Syracuse’s (5-4) fast-paced system perfectly. In her four games since, Hyman has emerged as a key player off the bench, averaging 9.8 points in 19.3 minutes and shooting 6-for-12 from behind the arc, showing flashes of what her game could become. 

Despite Hyman’s lack of Division I experience, the freshman’s decision-making on the court has been swift. She isn’t afraid to pull the trigger — she’s taken 32 shots, including 13 3-point attempts — and always looks to initiate transition opportunities herself or with outlet passes. Of SU’s non-centers, Hyman has the best field goal percentage (46.9%). 

“She’s very versatile,” Hillsman said. “She can score from all three levels. She can score in the midrange and she can finish at the rim. That’s what you want your guards to be complete players, and she’s a very complete guard.” 

Hyman’s breakout performance came in the Orange’s 82-48 win over UMBC on Sunday, when she dropped 16 points, three rebounds and three assists with no turnovers in just 15 minutes. Her plus-25 plus-minus was more than double any other Syracuse substitute.

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Hyman’s highlight play came in the final seconds of the third quarter when she quickly dribbled the ball up, feigned like she was driving, then nailed a stepback 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded to give SU a 25-point lead.

She continued to show her complete skills in the fourth quarter when she grabbed a defensive rebound and went straight to the rim, euro-stepping around UMBC’s O’lesheya Braxton and scooping in a reverse layup. After the game, she didn’t want to talk about her career-best statline or highlight plays. Instead, she said she was disappointed by her two airballs. Hillsman, though, praised the freshman.

“Any time she gets in space, she can get by most people in the country that’s guarding her,” Hillsman said after Sunday’s win.

Hyman missed the first three games of the season due to a medial meniscus tear suffered over the summer, forcing Hillsman to use a combination of Alisha Lewis and Elemy Colomé at backup point guard. Her first full practice with the Orange came two days prior to the Oregon game. SU guard Gabrielle Cooper said Hyman pays extreme attention to detail in practice and constantly asks questions about plays and defensive schemes so she won’t be confused in games. Hyman said Syracuse’s “system” has been the hardest thing to learn.

“We have a lot of plays, we have a lot of defenses,” Cooper said. “We switch up defenses mid-possession. That can be kind of confusing. (Hyman’s) always trying to make sure she knows so she’s able to translate that into the game.”

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Following Oregon, Hyman played 24 minutes in back-to-back nights against Houston and then-No. 3 Stanford in the Greater Victoria Invitational. “She was a little sore,” Hillsman said, and they agreed to keep her out against Green Bay the following night as a precautionary measure. In that game, three SU players, including starting point guard Kiara Lewis, fouled out in a 79-73 overtime loss. Hillsman said “it would have been nice” to have Hyman available, as she would have been Lewis’ replacement in overtime.

Five days later, Hyman was deemed fit to play against then-No. 24 Michigan and proceeded to go 3-for-3 from behind the arc with an assist in the first quarter. She played just seven minutes after that as Lewis primarily ran the point in the second half and overtime.

Even if Hyman continues her efficient play, she likely won’t be nudging veteran guards Lewis and Cooper out of the starting lineup anytime soon. The White Plains, New York native has proved she can be an important piece off the bench as the Orange try to claw back into the top 25, and, for now, she’s content with that. 

“The more comfortable she gets and the more minutes she gets, she’s going to be really good for us,” Hillsman said.

Published on December 12, 2019 at 1:48 pm

Contact David: ddschnei@syr.edu