SYRACUSE HAS ALWAYS HAD A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE GAME OF BASKETBALL.

THE MEN'S COLLEGIATE TEAM GAINED PROMINENCE IN THE EARLY 20th CENTURY, AND THEN LEGENDARY HEAD COACH JIM BOEHEIM TURNED THE PROGRAM INTO A POWER HOUSE.

SYRACUSE WAS ALSO HOME TO AN NBA CHAMPION, THE NATIONALS, THEY WON THE LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1955.

THE FRANCHISE'S OWNER LITERALLY CHANGED THE GAME AS THE MAN WHO CREATED THE SHOT CLOCK IN THE SPORT.

THIS CONNECTION IS PARTICULARLY STRONG FOR WOMEN'S BASKETBALL.

IN 189, A GROUP OF STUDENTS ORGANIZED A PUBLIC GAME THAT SPARKED THE START OF OTHER WOMEN'S INTERCOLLEGIATE CONTESTS ACROSS CAMPUS AND WHEN TITLE IX WAS PASSED 70 YEARS LATER, SYRACUSE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL WAS READY TO COMPETE IN ITS INAUGURAL SEASON OF INDEPENDENT PLAY.

THE YEAR WAS 1972, THE COACH WAS MURIEL SMITH.

THE TEAM SAW MOMENTS OF PROMISE EARLY IN THE PROGRAM, ESTABLISHING ITSELF INDEPENDENTLY, POSTING ABUNDEFEATED SEASON IN 1975 WITH A RECORD OF 10-0.

BY THE LATE 70s AND EARLY 80S, BARBARA JACOBS WAS READY TO BRING SYRACUSE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TO THE NEXT LEVEL IN THE BIG EAST CONFERENCE.

DESPITE SUCCESS IN INDEPENDENT PLAY, THE FIRST TWO SEASONS IN THE BIG EAST POSED CHALLENGES FOR THE PROGRAM BUT JACOBS KNEW THE TALENT SHE WAS RECRUITING FOR THE NEW ERA OF THE ORANGE WOULD TURN HER TEAM INTO LEGITIMATE CONFERENCE CONTENDERS.

>> , NO I DIDN'T REALLY LIKE BASKETBALL AT THE BEGINNING, BUT MY BROTHERS, LONNIE AND RONNY, THEY JUST THOUGHT I SHOULD DO SOMETHING.

THEY SAID DO SOMETHING.

YOU ARE SO TALL.

DO SOMETHING.

THEY LOVED TO PLAY BASKETBALL SO IN THE FIFTH GRADE, I PICKED UP THE BALL.

AND I JUST WAS A NATURAL AT IT.

IT BECAME A PASSION AND THEN IT BECAME A THING THAT I WANTED TO DO, NOT JUST HAD TO DO BECAUSE MY BROTHERS TOLD ME THAT I SHOULD DO SOMETHING.

BARBARA JACOBS WAS RECRUITING ME EVER SINCE I WAS IN THE EIGHTH GRADE.

SHE WOULD BE AT MY SOCCER GAMES.

SHE WOULD BE AT MY VOLLEYBALL GALES.

SHE WOULD BE AT MY BASKETBALL GAMES.

SHE REALLY WAS INTERESTED IN ME.

AND I CERTAINLY KNEW WHAT I BECAME BY GOING TO NOTTINGHAM HIGH SCHOOL.

I WENT THERE TO PLAY FOR A LADY NAMED LETA SPIES.

SHE WAS A TOUGH LADY.

SHE PUSHED YOU EVERY DAY NOT JUST FOR THE BASKETBALL SIDE OF IT BUT THE MENTAL PIECE, YOU KNOW.

I WAS A TOP 40 ATHLETE COMING OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL.

EVEN THOUGH THE BIG NAME SCHOOLS CAME AFTER ME, THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT WHERE THEIR SCHOOL RESIDED.

AND SO I WANTED TO GO TO A PLACE THAT WASN'T ALREADY ESTABLISHED AND I WANTED TO BE THE REASON WHY IT BECAME SOMETHING DIFFERENT AND I WANTED TO GO TO A PLACE WHERE I KNEW MY BROTHERS REALLY WANTED TO COME TO SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY.

BUT THEY WERE DENIED THE OPPORTUNITY AND THE WAY COACH JACOBS CAME AFTER ME, SHE THOUGHT I WOULD ONE DAY COME AND BE ON HER TEAM AND CHAIRCHG THE WAY PEOPLE SAW HER PROGRAM.

SO WHAT I THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO DO, WE MANIFESTED THAT IN OUR THOUGHT PROCESS AND IT BECAME TRUE.

FIRST YEAR WE WERE HERE AT SYRACUSE, WE WON THE BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP I. WAS OUR FIRST BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP AND WE JUST CONTINUED TO FIND WAYS TO KEEP GETTING BETTER.

AND ON THE BACKS OF SOME REALLY AMAZING TEAMMATES I HAD.

>> HERE IN THE MANLEY FIELD HOUSE, FELICIA LEGETTE-JACK BECAME A SCORING AND REBOUNDING FORCE FOR SYRACUSE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL.

SHE WAS NAMED THE BIG EAST CONFERENCE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR AND INCREASED HER PRODUCTION TO AVERAGING A DOUBLE-DOUBLE IN HER SOPHOMORE YEAR.

FELICIA AND HER TEAMMATES ALL UNDERSTOOD WHAT NEEDED TO BE DONE IN ORDER FOR HER TEAM TO FIND FUSS SUCCESS IN HER LAST TWO YEARS.

HOWEVER, THE PATH TO VICTORY IS NOT ALWAYS A STRAIGHT ONE.

>> I TRAINED.

I RAN.

THERE WAS NOT A CREVICE OF THIS CITY THAT YOU DIDN'T SEE THIS YOUNG LADY NAMED FELICIA LEGETTE RUNNING UP MEADOWBROOK AROUND SALINA STREET.

I WALKED, I RAN, I DID EVERYTHING.

I WAS READY TO SHOW THAT THERE WAS AN ALL AMERICAN HERE AT SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY FOR WOMEN'S BASKETBALL.

THIRD GAME OF THE SEASON, I WENT TO CATCH A PASS FROM SUE LUDWIG OVER MY HEAD AND AS I CAUGHT THE BALL OVER MY HEAD, THE FLOOR MOVED BUT DIDN'T STOP MOVING AND MY LEG WENT AND STOPPED.

AND I FELT LIKE MY LEG WAS JUST TIRED AND NEXT THING I KNOW, IT JUST WOULDN'T STOP BEING TIRED.

SO IT TOOK ME TO THE TRAINING ROOM BACK THEN.

THEY WOULD BLOW YOUR KNEE UP VERY QUICKLY THAT SAME NIGHT.

I DIDN'T REALIZE I TORE EVERY LIGAMENT IN MY LEG AND NEXT DAY I HAD FULL SURGERY ON MY KNEE.

IT WAS A SIX-WEEK CAST.

AND IT WAS RIDICULOUS.

AND IT WAS THE WORST TIME OF MY LIFE, I THOUGHT.

I WAS PLAYING 38 MINUTES A GAME OUT OF 40.

I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT THE COACH THOUGHT ABOUT.

I JUST KEPT PLAGUE AND THEY SAY WHATEVER THEY SAY, I DO WHATEVER I DO AND IT'S A HAPPY MARRIAGE.

BUT AFTER I PULLED MY KNEE OUT, I HAD TO SIT AND WATCH THE GAME FROM A COACH'S PERSPECTIVE AND THAT'S WHEN I REALIZED, GOSH, THIS IS HOW I CAN STAY CONNECTED WITH THE GAME.

I CAN ACTUALLY COACH.

AND WE PLAYED ANOTHER YEAR HERE AND I REALIZED THAT THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO DO.

AND THAT'S WHEN I BECAME A HIGH SCHOOL COACH FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS AND THE STORY CONTINUES.

>> FELICIA LEGETTE-JACK FINISHED HER CAREER AT S.U.

AS THE PROGRAM'S ALL TIME LEADER IN POINTS, REBOUNDS, FIELD GOALS AND FREE THROWS.

TODAY SHE IS STILL AMONG THE TOP 10 ON SYRACUSE'S REBOUNDING AND SCORING LIST.

ALONG WITH BEING UNOF THREE PLAYERS IN PROGRAM HISTORY TO SCORE MORE THAN 1500 PONTS AND GRAB MORE THAN 900 REBOUNDS.

THERE IS NO DENYING THAT FLESHA LEGGETTE HELPED PUT THE ORANGE ON THE MAP FOR WOMEN'S BASKETBALL AND ARGUABLY STARTING POINT OF THE PROGRAM'S HISTORY.

BARBARA JACOBS WOULD STILL FIND SUCCESS WITH HER TEAM.

THE COACHES THAT FOLLOWED FOUND THE SAME STRUGGLES IN FINDING CONSISTENT SUCCESS FOR THE PROGRAM.

MARIANA FREEMAN AND KEITH BOTH HAD CAREERS BELOW 500 AS HEAD COACHES FOR THE ORANGE.

DURING THIS TIME THE PROGRAM NEVER LOST THE IDENTITY THAT FLESHA HELPED TO ESTABLISH AS A PLAYER, YIFT ROOTED IN PASSION THAT SHE WOULD CONTINUE TO FOSTER THROUGH OUT HER COACHING CAREER.

>> I WAS ASSISTANT COACH FOR SEVEN YEARS AND I COULD HAVE BEEN HERE FOREVER.

WE WERE ALL LOCKED IN AND IT WAS A FUN PLACE.

IT WAS THE BEST COACHES WERE HERE.

WE WERE ALL UNDER PAID AND NO ONE CARED ABOUT ANYTHING OTHER THAN COMING TO WORK, WORKING HARD AND GROWING THIS COMMUNITY AND THIS ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT I JUST REMEMBER ONE TIME Mr.

CROWHAML HE HAD HAD A FOOTBALL PLAYER OVERALL AGAINST THE WALL AND JUST SEEING, WE WIN HERE.

WE DID OUR BEST EFFORT.

EVERYBODY IS INVESTED.

AND I JUST SAID, I WANT TO GO AWAY AND GET MORE KNOWLEDGE AND I WILL BE BACK SOON.

I WILL BE THE HEAD COACH.

I WANTED TO COME BACK RIGHT AFTER I LEFT.

AND THE JOB CAME OPEN WHEN I WAS AT HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY AND OF COURSE I ONLY HAD ONE OR TWO YEAR COACHING EXPERIENCE,BUT I LOST TWO RECRUITS.

EVERYBODY THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO BE THE NEXT IN LINE.

I GET TO INDIANA JOB, SAME THING HAPPENED.

AND MY KIDS CAME UP AND SAID COACH, IF YOU ARE GOING TO GO TO SYRACUSE, LET US KNOW.

I SAID SYRACUSE HASN'T CONTACTED ME.

SO I'M WHERE MY FEET ARE.

>> THE TIMING WASN'T QUITE RIGHT YET FOR COACH JACK TO RETURN HOME; HOWEVER, SYRACUSE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL DID BEGIN TO MAKE STRIDES TOWARDS RELEVANCE ON THE NATIONAL STAGE.

UNDER COACH QUINTON HILLSMAN, THE TEAM WAS REBUILT WITH TALENTED PLAYERS WHOSE NAMES WILL FOREVER GO DOWN IN SYRACUSE HISTORY.

KAYLA ALEXANDER, NICOLE MICHAEL, ALEXIS PETERSON AND BRITTANY SYKES AND TIANA WERE SOME OF THE PLAYERS THAT USHERED IN THE PROGRAM'S MOST SUCCESSFUL PERIOD IN NCAA ERA.

>> AND YOU HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND, BEFORE HE GOT TO SYRACUSE, THE PROGRAM HAD VERY LITTLE SUCCESS.

AND IN HIS FIRST YEAR, THEY ONLY WON NINE GAMES.

HE WAS NOT EXPECTED TO WIN MANY GAMES FROM HIS FIRST YEAR BUT FROM THE SECOND YEAR ONWARD, THEY WERE A WINNING PROGRAM CONSISTENTLY UNDER QUINTON HILLSMAN, ALWAYS GETTING TO 20 WINS, ALWAYS GETTING TO THE POST SEASON.

13 STRAIGHT APPEARANCES IN THE POST SEASON.

FOUR OF THOSE WERE WNIT BIRTHS EARLY ON AND ONCE THEY WERE ESTABLISHED THEY WERE AN NCAA TOURNAMENT TEAM YEAR OVER YEAR, THEY DID NOT LOOK BACK.

THEY MADE IT NINE STRAIGHT YEARS TO THE NCAA TOURNAMENT THERE.

WERE SOME REALLY FUN PLAYERS TO WATCH.

THAT'S ANOTHER POINT WITH THAT THAT COACH Q'S STYLE OF PLAY WAS ONE FUN TO WATCH, TOO.

THEY GOT UP AND DOWN THE COURT.

I THINK IT WAS AN ATTRACTIVE BRAND OF BASKETBALL THAT APPEALED TO RECRUITS AND I THINK IT WAS ESTABLISHED ENOUGH AT THAT POINT THAT SYRACUSE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL IS A PROVEN WINNER SO THE CROWDS GREW, FOR SURE.

THERE WAS A GREAT DEAL OF ENERGY EACH AND EVERY YEAR.

BUT FOR YEARS, THIS WAS A SPORT THAT WAS DOMINATED BY THREE OR FOUR TEAMS.

SYRACUSE MADE IT TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, EARNED THE RIGHT TO PLAY UCONN.

AT THAT TIME UCONN WAS WINNING NATIONAL TITLES PRETTY MUCH EVERY YEAR.

AND IT JUST FELT LIKE IT WAS INEVITABLE.

IT FELT LIKE WHO WAS UCONN GOING TO BEATEN ROUTE TO THEIR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP?

NOW YOU ARE LOOKING AT A PROGRAM THAT HAS HAD A LOT OF SUCCESS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT.

, THAT HAS HAD A LOT OF SUCCESS AT BRINGING IN TOP TIER TALENT.

AND NOW THE HOPE IS YOU CAN CATAPULT INTO ANOTHER CATEGORY.

BUT THE WAY THAT THE COACH Q ERA ENDED PUT THE PROGRAM IN A TOUGH SPOT.

THEY OBVIOUSLY TOOK A STEP BACK BECAUSE OF THE ABILITY TO TRANSFER AT THAT TIME PERIOD AND BECAUSE OF WHAT WAS GOING ON AND THE REPORTS AND THE STATE OF THE CULTURE, A LOT OF PLAYERS LEFT THE PROGRAM AND LEFT THE NEXT HEAD COACH IN A TOUGH SPOT TO KIND OF GATHER THE PIECES AND RECOVER FROM THERE.

>> AFTER COACH HILLSMAN'S RESIGNATION IN 2021, THE PROGRAM NEEDED A CHANGE.

SYRACUSE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NEEDED A LEADER THAT COULD RESTORE THE PROGRAM'S SUCCESS ON THE COURT AND ITS REPUTATION IN THE COMMUNITY.

IN SEARCH OF A NEW DIRECTION, SYRACUSE LOOKED WEST TO BUFFALO SPECIFICALLY WHERE THEN UNIVERSITY OF BUFFALO HEAD COACH FELICIA LEGETTE-JACK HAD BROUGHT THE BULLS TO THEIR MOST SUCCESSFUL PERIOD IN SCHOOL HISTORY.

THE SYRACUSE NATIVE WAS EXACTLY WHO THE SCHOOL AND BASKETBALL COMMUNITY NEEDED.

>> WELL, YOU KNOW, WE GOT THE DREAM JOB.

LET'S GO!

WE ARE HERE!

AND WE HAVE SOME PLAYERS!

AND WE ALL TAKE PICTURES TOGETHER.

IF YOU LOOK AT THE PICTURES, THERE ARE 12 OR 13 PLAYERS AND MYSELF.

AND I'M LISTENING AND EXCITED AND ONE BY ONE, THEY DECIDED TO GO TO OTHER INSTITUTIONS.

AND WHEN IT WAS ALL SAID AND DONE, THERE WERE ONLY FOUR PLAYERS LEFT.

AND WE HAD TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO BUILD A TEAM.

AND SO WHAT I KNEW TO BE TRUE WAS THERE IS TALENT ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.

THE ONLY TALENT I KNEW OF WAS MID MAJOR WHERE I CAME FROM AND WHERE I WAS FOR 10 YEARS.

I MEAN WE WENT REALLY MID MAJOR, BUT I SAID TO MYSELF, I JUST WANT KIDS THAT WANT TO PLAY HARD AND REALLY HONOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY FOR THIS GREAT INSTITUTION.

AND JUST WANTED THE WORLD TO SEE THEIR STORY THROUGH THE PLAY OF THE GAME OF BASKETBALL.

AND BEE-- AND WE ENDED UP GETTING EIGHT MAJOR KIDS AND WE SHOWED UP.

AND WE WON 20 GAMES OUR FIRST YEAR AND EVERYONE THOUGHT IT WAS A FLUKE.

AND THEY THOUGHT THIS KID NAMED DEASIA FEAR WASN'T THAT GOOD.

AND EVERYBODY KNEW ABOUT HER AND EVERYBODY WANTED TO STOP HER AND SHE ENDED UP MAKING ALL ACC FIRST TEAM AND ALL DEFENSIVE TEAM AND WE WON ENOUGH GAMES THAT WE COULD TIE FOR SECOND PLACE AND WON 24 GAMES OUR SECOND YEAR.

SO WE REALLY DIDN'T LOOK AT WE ARE GOING TO SHOW HEM OR WIN FOR THE BEGINNER.

WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT MIND SET.

WE JUST SAID TELL YOUR STORY EVERY POSSESSION.

AND WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED ON THE COURT, BE ABLE TO LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND KNOW THAT YOU LEFT IT OUT THERE.

AND IF YOU DID THAT, GREAT.

IF YOU DIDN'T, PRAY TO GOD THAT HE WALKS YOU UP IN THE MORNING AND YOU GIVE A LITTLE MORE.

>> FROM THE MOMENT SHE STEPPED ON CAMPUS, BEEN DREAMING BIG BECAUSE SHE KNOWS THAT YOU CAN WIN BIG HERE AT SYRACUSE.

AND SHE KNOWS THIS IS A SPECIAL PLACE AND A SPECIAL COMMUNITY.

AND GIVEN HER TIES TO THE COMMUNITY, I THINK THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF OPTIMISM THAT IF SHE PRODUCES THE WINNING SEASONS THAT SHE KNOWS SHE IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING, THE COMMUNITY WILL TURN OUT BECAUSE SHE IS ONE OF THEIR OWN.

AND THERE IS SOMETHING SOMETHING TO BE SAID FOR THAT.

IT IS REALLY HARD TO DESCRIBE HOW MUCH COACH JACK CARES ABOUT SYRACUSE AND CARES ABOUT THE COMMUNITY AND THE SCHOOL AROUND THE COMMUNITY.

>> MY PHILOSOPHY IS SIMPLE: IT'S CULTURE, IT'S CHARACTER.

IT'S GIVING YOUR BEST EFFORT ACADEMICALLY.

PLAYING THE GAME OF BASKETBALL, ZIP IT DOWN, ZIP IT IN WITH YOUR HEART.

BE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE WHAT YOUR WHY IS EVERY SINGLE POSSESSION.

AND THAT'S IT, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT GOING TO BE THE BEST COACH FOR YOU.

I'M NOT GOING TO BE THE PERSON THAT IS GOING TO X AND 50 BETTER THAN THE NEXT PERSON BUT I'M REALLY GOOD AT REINTRODUCING YOU TO YOUR WHY AND ONE THING I'M REALLY PROUD OF FOR WHAT WE HAVE NEVER WAVERED FROM, WE NEVER LET TALENT SUPERCEDE WHAT WE STAND FOR AT ANY INSTITUTION I HAVE BEEN IN.

AND ONE THING THAT WE STAND FOR IS THE CHARACTER PIECE BEFORE THE ACADEMIC PIECE BEFORE THE BASKETBALL PIECE.

I'M TRYING TO BUILD SUCCESS FOR THIS COMMUNITY.

YOU CAN SAY IT'S TOUGH HERE, BUT WHEN I LOOK AT WOMEN'S BASKETBALL, I SEE HOPE.

I SEE A VISION OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE WHEN YOU JUST PUT YOUR HEAD DOWN AND JUST TEND TO THE SHEEP AND GIVE YOURSELF A CHANCE.

I WANT TO BUILD A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM WHERE WE CAN REALLY BE THE FACE OF THE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT, THIS UNIVERSITY.

AND WE DON'T TAKE THAT LIGHTLY.

WE JUST BELIEVE THAT WHAT WE SAY INCLUDES EVERYBODY.

WHAT WE DO IS GOING TO INCLUDE EVERYBODY.

WE KNOW WHAT WINNING LOOKS LIKE AND SO WHEN WE WIN, WE ARE NOT GOING LOSE OURSELVES THROUGH THE WINS.

WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO IS STAND ON THE PODIUM AND REACH OUR HAND DOWN AND BRING EVERYONE WITH US.

I JUST THINK THIS COMMUNITY IS BEGGING FOR SOMEBODY TO INCLUDE THEM.

AND WE ARE THAT TEAM.

AND WE ARE THAT STORY.

AND WE ARE THAT WHY THAT WE ARE LOOKING TO JUST GROW THIS ENTIRE