SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Keith Cieplicki has resigned as the head women’s basketball coach at Syracuse University, SU Director of Athletics Dr. Daryl Gross announced on Tuesday, June 6. Cieplicki coached the Orange for three seasons from 2003-06.
"Coach Cieplicki has done a wonderful job of setting up a foundation and a base for women's basketball at Syracuse," Dr. Gross said. "He has allowed us the opportunity to move ahead and try to enhance the things he has built for us. I can't thank him enough for his character, his charisma, his composure, how he handled all kinds of situations, and his friendship."
Cieplicki and his family will remain in Syracuse and continue to be active members of the community, working with various charities and outreach programs in the area.
"I love the Syracuse community," Cieplicki said. "I love the people here. Quite frankly, I see a great need in the community. I see a lot of opportunities to get more involved with people who maybe have a little bit less."
During Cieplicki’s tenure Syracuse posted a 28-55 overall record and had three All-BIG EAST selections. His most successful campaign came in 2004-05 when he guided the Orange to a 13-16 overall mark and the team’s first BIG EAST Tournament victory since 2002 with a 65-58 triumph against Georgetown.
In his final season, 2005-06, the Orange went 9-18 overall and led the BIG EAST in defensive rebounding at 26.7 boards per game. He also oversaw the growth and development of center Vaida Sipaviciute who earned All-BIG EAST Second Team honors after averaging 16.3 points per game and 7.1 rebounds per contest. Both marks ranked in the top 10 in the conference. Sipaviciute also led the league in blocked shots for the second straight season. Cieplicki reached a personal milestone in his last year, winning his 150th career game on Dec. 4, 2005 at Canisius.
In his three years, the Orange had seven players selected as BIG EAST Academic All-Stars and the squad had a total of 29 Athletic Director’s Honor Roll nods.
Cieplicki owns a 155-108 overall head coaching mark in nine seasons, including a 127-53 record in six years at Vermont. He guided the Catamounts to the 2000 NCAA Tournament and an appearance in 2002 WNIT and three America East Conference regular-season titles. He was named the league’s Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2002 before coming to Syracuse on April 30, 2002 as the fourth head coach in SU history.
