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Ahead of Syracuse’s season opener Teisha Hyman hadn’t played basketball in 622 days. Two ACL injuries kept her on the sidelines after her freshman season in 2020. Going into the season, acting head coach Vonn Read wanted Hyman to take her opportunity to get back onto the court. But, Hyman wouldn’t just be another body out there for Syracuse — she would be a record-setter and the driving force of his direct offensive unit.

“Before the season, I was just going to be excited to see Teisha be able to play some minutes and be able to display her game,”’ Read said. “She’s a very talented scorer. She can do a lot of things other girls can’t.”

With the final minutes winding down in Sunday’s game against Central Connecticut State, Hyman was on the court in a position to achieve something no prior Syracuse player had done in program history. Hyman was on the verge of a quadruple-double and was just one rebound away from achieving so. Hyman stood below the hoop, but no shots came to her, even as members of the crowd demanded that she get on the ball. The buzzer sounded, and Hyman was three points away from tying a career-high 30 points set just five days ago.

Instead, Hyman settled for becoming the fifth Syracuse (5-4, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) player to record a triple-double in addition to 27 points, 15 assists and 11 steals. Hyman was involved in 30 of the Orange’s scoring plays that led to its record-setting 116-65 win over Central Connecticut State (1-5).

Against No. 18 Ohio State, Hyman was involved in 20 of Syracuse’s scoring plays when she notched her career-high 30 points. She shot 66% from both the field and deep, which included a season-high 12 field goals. But against the Blue Devils, Hyman improved along with the rest of the Orange’s offense as it relied on a shot variety it hadn’t displayed all season. Hyman took just two 3-point attempts on Sunday — making both of them — instead of playing a more central role within the paint, which led to her season-high assists mark as she set up seven layups.

“The Ohio State game was a reminder that I hadn’t played in 622 days,” Hyman said. “It was good to have a game like that, a reminder that I still got it. Game after game I feel like I’m improving and calming down, getting to my old self.”

On Hyman’s double-double clinching 10th assist of the game midway through the third quarter, Hyman was posted up in her usual spot at the top of the arc. Usually, she would drive inside the paint and possibly look for an option to her left — normally Chrislyn Carr — dishing it out to set up a 3-point shooting opportunity.

But instead, she raised the ball up high and sent an overhead pass to Alaysia Styles, who was driving toward the bucket. Styles beat her defender and launched a one-handed layup. That combination gave Syracuse a 40-point lead and left her two steals away from reaching the triple-double, which she achieved with just under eight minutes to play in the game.

“I was looking forward to it for her,” Read said of Hyman’s potential quadruple-double. “She’s probably had some of those games in high school because she put up numbers like that in high school. I just wanted her to get it naturally.”

Despite standing at just 5-foot-8, Hyman was one of Syracuse’s biggest threats within the paint. She set up both of Najé Murray’s 1,001st and 1,0003rd career points within a 20-second span. Hyman stole the ball after CCSU’s Eden Nibbelink turned the ball over in her own half. Murray stood just below the free-throw line, unmarked, and Hyman found her as Murray sunk the easy 2-point jumper.

Then Nibbelink nearly identically turned the ball over, and Hyman recorded a second steal. She faked to the right of the hoop and instead made a bounce pass to Murray, who was streaking in along the left side of the paint. Murray collected the ball in stride and banked in the layup.

Ever since the team’s winless stint at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, Read has emphasized the team’s improvement offensively, which is mostly due to its 5-out motion offense that Hyman plays a central role in. But such plays, where Hyman is able to use her skill within the paint, have led to such improvement and Syracuse picking crucial wins.

“This is scary,” Hyman said postgame, realizing how quickly a newly formed Syracuse team has gelled nine games into the season. Last season Syracuse made a deep run into the semifinals of the ACC Tournament, but Hyman couldn’t participate. Now as Hyman becomes a crucial part of the new era of Orange basketball, her play is at an all-time high, and her teammates are taking notice.

“The country will slowly realize who Teisha is,” Murray said. “It’s been 600 days, but they will know who she is.”

Published on December 5, 2021 at 6:08 pm

Contact Alex: ahcirino@syr.edu