Like many girls basketball players growing up in New York City, Jelleah Sidney always hoped to earn a scholarship to a Big East program. UConn and Rutgers, perennially two of the best teams in the country, are driving distance from the Big Apple. St. John’s, where her sister Elon plays, is almost walking distance from her house in Queens Village.
But the conference’s legacy and accessibility weren’t the main factors in the former St. Michael Academy star’s college decision. Its physicality was.
“I always wanted to play in the Big East,” Sidney said. “I’m a physical player and the Big East is a real physical conference. I think I fit well in it.”
With that in mind, Sidney committed to Syracuse on Tuesday, choosing the Orange over Kentucky, where her former St. Mike’s teammate Jennifer O’Neill committed to Sunday. The 6-foot-1 Sidney’s aggression and motivation to play defense made her one of coach Apache Paschall’s favorite players the last few years.
“She’s one of those rare players that can guard point guards through power forwards,” said Paschall, who coached her at St. Mike’s and with the Exodus AAU program. “She’s going to bring toughness and versatility up there. I’ve always said she’s like a woman version of Ron Artest.”
Sidney knew what conference she wanted and really Syracuse was a perfect fit for her. Five former teammates with St. Mike’s or Exodus – Nicole Michael, Erica Morrow, Tasha Harris, Shakeya Leary and Vionca Murray – current play for coach Quentin Hillsman and the Orange.
“It played a big part in my decision,” said Sidney, who will be attending prep school at IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla., this year. “I trust them. They’re like family. They really love it there.”
Sidney says Michael, a fellow Queens native, is like an older sister to her. The pair had long conversations about the upstate New York school in general and Hillsman in particular.
“[Michael] said he’s not gonna lie, he’ll keep his word and he’ll take care of you,” Sidney said. “He would call me at 2 o’ clock in the morning if he knew something was wrong, she said. He really cares about his players. It’s not just about him.”
Hillsman has also guided once-dreadful Syracuse to an impressive turnaround using New York City players as the team’s core. He won the Big East Coach of the Year award in 2007-08 and the Orange went 17-15 last season for its first back-to-back winning campaigns since 1989-90. On his watch, the Orange have become a viable conference contender.
This year, Paschall said, could be a special one, too.
“They’re just going to be very good,” the coach said.
With Michael and Murray graduating, Sidney, who reclassified to the Class of 2010 after tearing both ACLs early in her high school career, should receive solid playing time right away at small or power forward. One thing she’s looking forward to is playing Elon once a year.
“That’s gonna be a funny game,” Jelleah said. “We always played with each other since we were younger. This is the first time we’ll be playing against each other. It’s something we can brag about.”
After committing to a Big East program, it’s not the only thing she has to brag about.