Syracuse Basketball: A Look Back At Fab Melo’s Top SU Moments
By Neil Adler
In what can only be described as utterly shocking and saddening news we learned Fab Melo has left this world over the weekend, he was only 27 years old.
The only way to slice it is that Fab Melo’s shocking death on Saturday at the age of 26 is utterly sad.
After hearing the news, I read a ton of comments from Syracuse fans in chat rooms and on message boards. Some brought up the incident with his then-girlfriend a few years ago. And also his two-time suspension related to academics during the 2011-12 campaign – once for three games during the regular season, and again right before the NCAA Tournament got under way.
Okay, fine. I get it. Melo, who suited up for SU in two stanzas before declaring early for the NBA Draft, had his share of issues. Who doesn’t?
What makes me sick to my stomach, though, is all the present negativity, when a man has just died at such a young age. I know, I know. Many of us, myself included, felt perhaps anger or disappointment when he found himself ineligible for the 2012 Big Dance.
That year, the Orange had a remarkable run, reaching No. 1 in the polls, while going 30-1 in the regular season, including 17-1 in the Big East. A No. 1 seed entering the NCAA Tournament, the ‘Cuse advanced to the Elite Eight before bowing out to Ohio State. Syracuse sported a final mark of 34-3, a school record for victories.
But … so many of us have asked, “what if?” If Melo, the starting center on a tremendously
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talented team, played in March Madness, maybe SU gets to the Final Four, or wins the whole darn thing.
We’ll always wonder. However, it doesn’t matter all that much. College basketball is something we follow, and for which we are passionate, especially as it pertains to Syracuse. Still, it’s just a sport. A person’s life is way more important.
So, as head coach Jim Boeheim recently quipped, haters are gonna hate. Feel free to do so. It makes you look petty, and heart-less.
Me? I’m going to focus on the positive. As such, what follows below is my take on several of Melo’s best performances in an Orange uniform. Rest in peace, my friend. You are, and will always remain, a part of the ‘Cuse family.