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Madeline Potts went against Syracuse’s play call late in its game against Clemson Sunday. There were 34.2 seconds left with SU holding a 62-53 lead, and the freshman guard was inbounding the ball from the sideline. According to SU head coach Felisha Legette-Jack, Potts was supposed to find another guard with a short pass. But instead, she threw a long pass to center Izabel Varejão, who was cutting toward the hoop unmarked.

The pass found Varejão in stride, and she was fouled on her shot attempt, sending her to the line. She split a pair of free throws to extend SU’s cushion to 10 points.

Potts’ spur of the moment instincts all but secured Syracuse’s (8-12, 2-7 Atlantic Coast) first ACC road win of the season in a 67-55 victory at Clemson (11-10, 4-6 Atlantic Coast) Sunday. Potts, in her first career start, scored a career high 13 points on 3-for-7 3-point shooting in 35 minutes to fuel the Orange.

“Even that last play on the sideline she went against what was supposed to be the call and she made a guard decision, an instinct decision,” Legette-Jack said postgame. “I’m telling you, Maddie Potts is going to be a feared person in this conference because that 3-ball is really going in. Now she’s trying to drive to the hoop too.”

Potts enrolled at Syracuse last January. She practiced with the SU team that reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament but couldn’t play. In May 2023, Potts narrowed her school choices to three: Syracuse, Western Kentucky and Clemson — the team she faced during her career-best performance on Sunday.

During her visit to Syracuse in June 2023, she was amazed by its facilities, noting nothing like them existed in her hometown of Doncaster, Australia. When she committed to Syracuse on June 30, 2023, SU’s coaching staff recommended she enroll in January so she could acclimate to the new country and style of basketball, which Potts noted was much more physical.

Potts consulted with Taylor Jones, a coach at the club Potts played for, ATC Academy, who helped her navigate recruiting, and Jones agreed with SU’s coaches.

Potts was eager for the 2024-25 season to finally play in a game for the Orange after being around the team for the latter half of last season. But initially, her opportunities were limited. She didn’t play more than 10 minutes until SU’s win over Binghamton on Dec. 18, where she scored nine points on 3-for-7 3-point shooting. Entering Sunday, she averaged only 9.9 minutes and 3.2 points.

While Syracuse has the fifth-worst 3-point percentage in the ACC at 31.5%, Potts is its most reliable option from beyond the arc. The freshman shoots a team-high 41.4% from 3. Her development stems from not being allowed to leave her home during the COVID-19 lockdown.

According to Potts, for two years, she couldn’t travel further than five kilometers from her home, let alone play basketball with others. So, she would shoot 3s on the small makeshift court in her backyard. She would also watch clips of Stephen Curry and try to emulate his form.

Now, her practice features getting up as many shots up as she can, from all spots on the court. On each SU possession, she said she wants to space the floor. That’s how she gained success at Clemson Sunday.

Though Potts’ first two shots were misses. She was forced to toss up a long-range triple as the shot clock expired. Then, she found an opening on the left wing, but it rimmed out.

“That’s what I’m working on, (to) keep shooting even though I’m missing,” Potts said Wednesday after practice. “That was a big thing that I was bad at before I came to America. I would miss two of them, (and) I wouldn’t shoot again. But here, just knowing that I’m a shooter and each shot is different.”

So, Potts kept shooting. With 2:51 left in the first quarter, Potts positioned herself in the left corner. SU’s Georgia Woolley, a fellow Australian who Potts said played a major role in her recruitment and acclimation to Syracuse, swung her a pass. This time, Potts made no mistake, netting her first 3 of the game.

Potts missed her next 3 but converted the following one, getting to her spot in the left corner again. She drained the trey to push the Orange’s advantage to 40-36 with 5:25 remaining in the third quarter.

The guard’s final 3 of the day occurred when she again got separation from beyond the arc and canned a triple to hand Syracuse a 49-48 lead at the 7:47 mark of the fourth quarter, an advantage it wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the way.

“She’s having fun, she’s relaxing and she’s letting the game come to her,” Legette-Jack told Z89 on Jan. 9 following Potts’ then-career-high 11 points in a loss at FSU. “Her 3-point shot is what we count on the most. She’s slowly getting comfortable with her own body and getting comfortable being in America. There’s a lot more for her to give to us.”

Potts noted one major difference between basketball in Australia and the United States is teams have more depth. Her point was proven by her own performance, becoming the 12th different player to start for Syracuse and having a career game with her opportunity.

“We have a go-to team,,” Legette-Jack said Sunday. “And we have to step up when our numbers are called. And today, (Olivia Schmitt) and Maddie and our bigs showed up and showed out.”

Published on January 26, 2025 at 6:09 pm

Contact Nicholas: njalumka@syr.edu | @nalumkal