Legette-Jack’s Emotional Speech Caps 90-65 Win Over Boston College

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse closed out the regular season Sunday with a 90-65 rout of Boston College, the team that handed the Orange one of their most painful losses a year ago.

Freshman center Uche Izoje led the way with 24 points and 12 rebounds, her 13th double-double of the season. The Orange dominated the paint, outscoring the Eagles 56-34, and never let the game get close.

The win carried a layer of symmetry.

It was that same Boston College team that Syracuse blew a 17-point halftime lead to in last year’s ACC Tournament — a collapse that came during a difficult period that left Legette-Jack reflecting on her coaching future.

After the final buzzer and a ceremony recognizing the Orange’s graduating seniors, Legette-Jack took the microphone and delivered an emotional address. She explained to the crowd how this group of players rejuvenated her coaching spirit.

“I had brain surgery, and I didn’t take any time off,” she told reporters afterward. “I didn’t feel like myself, and I certainly didn’t coach as well as I wanted to.”

She credited transfers Dominique Darius and Laila Phelia, along with Izoje and senior Jasmyn Cooper, as the group that reignited her passion.

“Had they not come into our lives, we might be making different decisions right now,” she said. “The energy that jumped into my space was like, whoa.”

Her players felt it, too. Phelia said Legette-Jack’s belief in her roster has been a driving force all season.

“Coach Jack truly believes in the women that she has on her team,” Phelia said. “It just makes players out here want to fight for her… You always want to play for a coach who fights for you, and I feel like Coach Jack definitely is the definition of that.”

Syracuse — after being picked 13th in the ACC preseason poll after a 12-18 season — will head to the ACC Tournament as the No. 7 seed with a coach whose fire is burning again.