Syracuse, N.Y. — Vonn Read, speaking to the media on Monday for the first time since he was named the acting Syracuse women’s basketball coach, declined to say whether he witnessed or reported any of the allegations levied against former coach Quentin Hillsman throughout a decade-long stint on Hillsman’s staff.
Read, who spent nine years as an assistant to Hillsman, said he still maintains “a fine relationship” with Hillsman, who resigned Aug. 2 in the wake of allegations of bullying and player mistreatment. The two have talked since Read took over as the acting head coach, Read said, but he wouldn’t disclose the nature of the conversation.
Syracuse’s tumultuous offseason included an exodus of 12 players leaving the program (along with a couple of top-50 recruits) and a two-month external investigation that resulted in parting ways with Hillsman and two of his assistants and a former administrator. Read was named the acting head coach in August.
Despite the turbulence, Read said the situation is not difficult and the remaining 12 players feet comfortable with him leading the program.
“I don’t think it’s a mess,” Read said. “I think that we have a good team. These players are very excited about Nov. 10 and we’re excited moving forward and preparing like we always have.”
Read, along with Kansas State-transfer Christianna Carr and Texas Tech-transfer Chrislyn Carr, will represent Syracuse in Charlotte at ACC Media Day on Wednesday. The Orange will open its 2021-22 season in the Carrier Dome on Nov. 10 against Monmouth. Syracuse returns three players from last season’s roster — Teisha Hyman, Ava Irvin and Priscilla Williams — along with seven transfers and two freshmen to compete in a loaded ACC that features five of its former players.
The external investigation into Hillsman and the program’s culture was prompted by an article in The Athletic in June in which several former players and staff members accused Hillsman of inappropriate behavior, including unwanted physical contact and threatening and bullying players. Some of the allegations included vulgar language, making players uncomfortable by kissing their foreheads, hiring a staff member previously accused of sexual harassment who made players and managers uncomfortable and refusing players’ requests for water after running punishing sprints.
Read didn’t say if he reported those concerns to Syracuse athletic director John Wildhack, instead saying he directed anything that brought him concern “to the head coach,” meaning Hillsman.
“I’m not going to talk about things that happened in the past,” Read said. “An independent review was conducted. I participated in that independent review and I answered all questions. The appropriate action was taken and we’re trying to move forward as a program.”
Hillsman, the winningest coach in Syracuse women’s basketball program history, brought Read on as an assistant for the 2011-12 season and named him the team’s associate head coach in 2013. Read is often described as “the mastermind” behind Syracuse’s offensive and defensive system, predicated on creating more possessions, forcing turnovers and maximizing points per possession. He’s often noted as the driving force behind the program’s run to the 2016 NCAA championship game against Connecticut.
Read said Syracuse has not given him any indication on whether he’ll coach after this season.
It remains to be seen how Syracuse’s batch of newcomers will gel on the court, or what type of coach or person Read is. But with the season rapidly approaching, Read plans to direct his energy on the here-and-now instead of what happened under his predecessor.
“I love coaching, so it’s an opportunity. I’m just going to be myself,” Read said. “I may not even know what that is, but I’m just going to be myself and make sure I keep the focus on the student-athletes and I think things will work out that way.”
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