‘This is ridiculous’: coach Felisha Legette-Jack calls out fanbase, poor Syracuse women’s basketball home attendance

Syracuse Orange women’s basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack expressed clear frustration after the team at home fell short to the UAlbany Great Danes on Wednesday, saying she was “disappointed” in her fanbase and calling out the program’s lackluster home attendance to start this season.

To be as fully transparent as possible, here was the full question asked at the very end of the postgame press conference:

“Coach, I know you mentioned the outside noise and blocking that out. I also know that you’re from Syracuse and you care a lot about this community and this fanbase. How important is it to have your team respond as soon as possible and I know you have lofty expectations from what you expect this fanbase, this community to provide to this team on a nightly basis when you guys are playing at home?”

In response to the question, this is what Legette-Jack said in full, noting the phrases that are in bold which really stood out:

“We don’t deal with negativity at all. This was my home when I was in Indiana… when I was in Buffalo. It’s always going to be my home, whether I’m playing here or there. But, we’re not going to… this is the first thing we’re playing for is each other. We’re not going to be it twisted. We got to close the noise out, whatever that noise is.

If they are real fans that really love me like I think I should, they come to the game and really be a part of this thing and not just send 30 people to this game. You know, so, I’m disappointed in my fanbase here. If I’m home and they’re supposed to be home, prove it. This is ridiculous.

I’m the one coach that’s from this place and this is the respect that we get here… after a while my mama always said ‘you can love somebody, but if they ain’t loving you back, you gotta love somebody else.’”

That was just at the end of the presser. Here is FLJ’s opening statement plus that closing remark to the question above in full… and there is a lot to unpack:

(Writer’s note: I’ve been writing about the program dating back to before the 2022-23 season. When I say this was the first time I’ve heard FLJ say something in this ballpark at all, I’m really not kidding.)

Photo by Sean Elliot/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

For context, Legette-Jack ended the presser after responding to that question with that answer.

The remarks came after the Orange took a frustrating loss at home to UAlbany. It was the first time Syracuse had ever lost to the Great Danes (the program was previously 6-0 versus UAlbany, with each win coming by at least double-digits). It was also UAlbany’s second ever win over a Power Five opponent in team history.

The ending was a heartbreaker: with the game tied at 70-70, UAlbany Lilly Phillips drilled a game-winning three-pointer in the corner to put the Orange down by three for good. Already, Syracuse has three losses at home in its five games in the Dome. In the FLJ era, it’s the earliest the Orange have taken three home losses to start the year:

2022-23: January 29

2023-24: N/A (Syracuse had just two home losses last year)

2024-25: November 20

It’s hard not to feel bad for FLJ considering Syracuse is below-.500 through five games and has already lost to two non-P5 opponents, and that’s most certainly leading to her boiling over the attendance.

And the numbers don’t tell the whole story. According to the stat sheet, attendance in the Dome for Wednesday’s game was 2,038 fans, but take a look at these highlights and there is clearly not that amount of fans in the area… by a mile:

At the start of the season, attendance was a topic brought up here on the NunesMagician site and for many reasons, as brought up in that previous story: a) the numbers aren’t great compared to the rest of the ACC, b) there is a clear gap between attendance for men’s and women’s basketball games, c) on paper attendance is so far worse than what it was during FLJ’s first season and d) the Orange were 29-6 at home heading into this season during FLJ’s tenure.

As of Wednesday night and not including the UAlbany game, Syracuse is averaging 2,224 fans per game according to the ACC which is 11th in the conference.

With that information in mind, again, it is really tough to side-step Legette-Jack’s “not just send 30 people to this game” comment or the rest of her remarks directed to Syracuse fans.

Syracuse will be away from the Dome for their next two games, traveling down to Destin (FL) to compete in the inaugural Emerald Coast Classic versus Missouri and either Creighton or Wichita State. The Orange will be back in the Dome on December 1 to face Yale.

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