Georgia Tech guard Aaliyah Whiteside is the ACC’s top scorer and has provided leadership for the Yellow Jackets’ 10-3 start, but one of her biggest contributions thus far may have been inhaling shellfish-tinged smoke.
An allergic reaction to shellfish suffered at a hibachi restaurant the night before the Jackets played Alabama on Dec. 18 – she didn’t eat any, but was just at the table as it was grilled – made it difficult for Whiteside to breathe. Limited physically, she scored eight points with no rebounds. Off the bench, guard Ciani Cryor and guard Antonia Peresson jumped into the void with 17 points each to lead all scorers as the Jackets pulled together for a 70-58 win over the Crimson Tide.
Whiteside left McCamish Pavilion that night with at least two takeaways.
“I saw a lot of my teammates stepping up and really play well as a team, and that really meant a lot to me,” she said.
The second?
“I just have to stay away from hibachi,” she said. “Just stay away from everything that has to do with it.”
The Jackets will take all lessons gained from the 13-game non-conference schedule into South Bend, Ind., Wednesday night to open ACC play in coach MaChelle Joseph’s 13th season with the Jackets. Notre Dame is No. 3 in the country and has reached the Final Four the past five seasons. That will be followed by a home game against perennial powerhouse Louisville on Sunday.
“At first (when) I saw the schedule, I said, ‘O.K., they gave us a couple tough ones at the beginning,’ but (then) I said, ‘Let’s embrace it,’” Whiteside said. “’Let’s just go for it Wednesday night.’”
The Jackets have missed the NCAA tournament two of the past three seasons after Joseph led them to six consecutive berths. However, Joseph likes what she’s seen so far from a team with eight freshmen and sophomores, as does Whiteside. Joseph went so far as to say it reminds her of her best team, the 2011-12 team that reached the sweet 16, the best tournament finish in school history.
“We didn’t care who got the credit,” she said. “Everybody worked hard and played hard. That’s what this team’s been like. They’ve been about each other and unselfish.”
Whiteside’s response to the Alabama game exemplifies that attitude. Whiteside sees a team that sticks to its prescribed roles and can have different players step to the fore.
Last season, “it was different, because we practiced one thing, we’d do another (in the game),” she said. “We just played. It really wasn’t a team to me. Now, I feel like we’re all on the same page.”
Joseph called Whiteside the most improved player in the ACC, touting her stronger work ethic and better conditioning. She has picked up the scoring role vacated by guards Kaela Davis, the two-time All-ACC guard who transferred to South Carolina, and Sydney Wallace, who graduated. Combined, the two averaged 32.3 points last season.
Through Monday’s games, Whiteside led the conference at 20.1 points per game. Forward Roddreka Rogers follows at 12.9. Whiteside is seeking to become just the second Tech player to lead the ACC in scoring, following Dolores Bootz in 1988.
“I would love for her to get that, there’s no doubt about it,” Joseph said. “But, Aaliyah would tell you the same thing, I would trade the scoring title for getting into the NCAA tournament right now.”
Joseph estimates it’ll take a .500 record over the 16-game ACC schedule and 10 more wins to reach 20 for the season to gain a tournament berth, which not so long ago seemed a given for the Jackets.
The path begins in South Bend, where the Irish are a mere 102-6 dating back to the 2009-10 season. Whiteside is game for Notre Dame and the 15 games to follow.
“I just want to leave it all out there,” Whiteside said. “If I show them the way, I know they’ll follow.”
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