Quentin Hillsman says he’s a bit unfair to Taylor Ford. Of the expectations and criticisms that he doles out to every player on his roster, Ford gets that two or three fold.

It’s not because he’s angry at her, though.

“I want her to be so good,” Hillsman said. “For her to just take it and grind and never give up and just take it, that’s it. She’s one of my favorite kids on this planet.”

The junior has been paying it forward as of late. In her past three games she’s averaging 11.7 points, and has pulled down eight offensive boards in her past two games. She was the leading scorer with 15 points in SU’s 64-46 win over Boston College on Sunday, and has developed into one of Hillsman’s top do-it-all players despite not starting a game for him this season.

“There is a point where you get upset,” Ford said of her coach’s criticisms. “But I know it’s all for the best. I don’t take it negatively.”

Ford has taken Syracuse’s third-most 3-point attempts. She often comes into the game after the first whistle to take out the often-ineffective Isabella Slim, who is also a 3-point shooter.

Ford, though, provides versatility. When Briana Day exited SU’s loss to Notre Dame on Jan. 4 with four fouls and 17 minutes to play, the 6-foot Taylor Ford was tasked with playing the center position. When Day left with an injury on Thursday against Wake Forest, Ford manned the middle of the zone again.

She’s third on the team in rebounding and fifth in blocks and scoring, despite playing just over 21 minutes per game.

Against Wake Forest, Ford scrambled to recover a blocked Diamond Henderson shot. The ball fell into her hands, she turned around 10 feet from the basket and nailed it as the shot clock expired to put Syracuse up eight with just 4:43 to play.

“I’m just very aggressive,” Ford said. “… I try to help my teammates out as much as I can. If I’m not scoring, I try to do something else, always.”

Hillsman will be the first to admit that Ford is one of his most important players. She provides a little bit of everything. His desire for her to be great stems partly from a promise to the late Robert “Apache” Paschall, who was Ford’s coach at Nazareth (New York) High School and also a close friend of Hillsman’s.

He knows it’s not fair to Ford, but he sees her production as his responsibility.

“I’ve got to take care of Taylor, I’ve got to make her good,” Hillsman said. “She can do so much more, and I’ve got to continue to get her to do more.”

Published on January 20, 2015 at 12:14 am

Contact Sam: sblum@syr.edu | @SamBlum3