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Syracuse head coach Felisha Legette-Jack expects the most out of Alyssa Latham. She was quick to call the freshman “special” postgame. Yet, she wasn’t satisfied with Latham’s 15-point, 10-rebound performance in her Syracuse debut.

Legette-Jack said Latham has “a lot of work to do” going forward. She wants her to improve at finishing under the rim and scoring through contact, saying Latham could have ended with 25 points against Lafayette. Legette-Jack mentioned Monday’s performance from Notre Dame freshman Hannah Hidalgo, who dropped 31 points in a loss to No. 6 South Carolina, as a benchmark for what she awaits to see from Latham.

“I’m not going to treat her like a freshman,” Legette-Jack said of Latham. “I’m going to treat her like the player she wants to become.”

In her debut, Latham flashed her potential. The lengthy, versatile forward dropped a double-double in her first career regular-season game, helping Syracuse (1-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) defeat Lafayette (0-1, 0-0 Patriot League) 75-41. The fresh face earned a starting spot in her first collegiate contest and was a catalyst on both sides of the ball in SU’s 34-point victory. She was efficient, shooting at a 62.5% clip and going 5-for-7 from the free-throw line. She pestered the Leopards all over the court, showing an ability to guard the perimeter and hold her ground down low, consistently hauling in rebounds.

“Just tracking the ball and going to get it is what I focused on as a player,” Latham said postgame. “And just making sure that I’m there rebounding as it’s what my team needs.”

Latham displayed her prowess as a rebounder Tuesday evening. Her 10 boards helped the Orange out-rebound Lafayette 58-27 and 25-6 on the offensive glass. Latham’s five offensive rebounds finished one shy of the Leopards’ team total.

On SU’s opening possession of the second half, fellow freshman Sophie Burrows drove inside and fed Latham on the left block. Posted up on Lafayette’s Makayla Andrews, Latham rose above the shorter defender for a close shot. The initial attempt missed, though Latham adjusted mid-air to the ball, which bounced toward the middle of the key.

The freshman grabbed the offensive board, put up another unsuccessful close range try and was fouled after pulling in another rebound. Latham knocked down both free throws, giving the Orange a 42-21 lead.

The following Lafayette possession, Latham showcased her all-around defensive talent. Matched up with Andrews, the Leopards’ leading scorer in 2022-23 (14.2 points per game), Latham tightly guarded her on the left wing. Andrews swung the ball to the top of the key for Halee Smith, who immediately drove the lane.

Latham’s instincts led her to crash deeper into the paint to fend off Smith, which left Andrews uncovered along the perimeter. Smith passed backward to Andrews, but Latham rapidly switched directions to get back on her original assignment. Andrews took a step inside the 3-point line and released a mid-range jumper, but Latham extended her left arm to contest the shot as Andrews’ attempt clanked off the rim.

“Using my length, being handsy. Especially with the guards or whoever can dribble,” Latham said of her defense. “Even if I can’t get the ball, those little things matter.”

With Latham, Legette-Jack has a versatile forward who can slot in a variety of roles. Against the Leopards, she played all over the court, defending Andrews up top and often switching down low to guard Lafayette bigs Kayla Drummond and Emma Shields.

Andrews and Kate Donahue, the Leopards’ two highest-volume shooters Tuesday, went a combined 4-for-23 from the floor. The cold streak for the two Lafayette guards was in large part due to Latham’s tenacious defense.

“She’s one of the few that can play multiple positions. She can play the three, four or five,” Legette-Jack said.

At the 3:16 mark of the third quarter, Latham was positioned within the paint. Donahue maneuvered past Fair on the left wing and appeared to drive. Latham saw Donahue and also lunged forward, preparing to thwart an incoming play.

Donahue opted to take the mid-range pull-up rather than challenge Latham in the paint. Her shot barely grazed the rim and Latham secured the easy rebound after boxing out Shields.

Offensively, Latham helped pull Syracuse out of its early cold stretch. The Orange began the first quarter 1-for-10 shooting. They were down 7-3 in the early portion of the contest, until Latham took matters into her own hands.

Near the halfway point of the opening quarter, Izabel Varejão misfired a short-range jumper from the right baseline. Latham boxed out Smith, muscling her way in front of her and leaping to snare the rebound. She converted the ensuing putback for her first two points with SU.

Then, on Syracuse’s next possession, Fair held the ball at the right wing with Latham down on the left block. Fair cut toward the top of the key and darted forward into the paint. As Fair created space, Latham leaked out behind her and received a pass from the point guard.

She pounded the ball a couple of times, then made hard contact with Smith, who fell to the ground. Latham had cleared a wide-open attempt from close range, which she converted.

From Latham’s back-to-back buckets through the remainder of the first frame, SU went 7-for-11 from the field. Latham finished the season opener 5-for-8 from the field in 23 minutes.

After the game, Legette-Jack said one of Latham’s goals is to be the ACC Rookie of the Year. Despite a strong debut, SU’s head coach thinks she must “step it up a little bit” to be placed among the country’s top freshmen. At the same time, Legette-Jack praised the forward’s versatility and used her as a model for the rest of Syracuse’s squad.

“(Latham’s) ability to (play three positions) and hit the 3-ball and rebound with the best of them and sit down on defense against anybody that’s on the floor says a little bit about what she’s trying to become,” Legette-Jack said. “We need more people on our team to adjust their game to that.”

Published on November 8, 2023 at 12:05 am

Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews