Every Sunday, Inside the Loud House will release the Top 50 Players they believe are the best in Syracuse Basketball History. This week we continue the countdown with #35.
After a three week hiatus, we return to bring you the next five in our countdown of the Top 50 Best Players in Syracuse Basketball history.
More from All-Time Lists
- Syracuse Basketball: Top 3 NBA players from ‘Cuse in Jim Boeheim era
- Syracuse Basketball: Top 3 family ties during the Jim Boeheim era
- Syracuse Basketball: Top 3 NCAA Tournament games in Boeheim era
- Syracuse Basketball: Top 3 dunkers in Jim Boeheim-era history
- Syracuse Basketball: Ranking the top-10 games for the Orange in 2021-22
Keep in my mind, this is purely our opinion, and its hard to make a list of this magnitude that stretches multiple generations. We hope you enjoy this week’s segment and hope it teaches you something new while giving you a greater appreciation for Syracuse Basketball.
If you missed any of our previous editions in this series you can check them out below:
- Syracuse Basketball: Top 50 Players of All-Time (50-46)
- Syracuse Basketball: Top 50 Players in School History (45-41)
- Syracuse Basketball: Top 50 Players in School History (40-36)
Be sure to check back next week as we complete our five-part series with the final 30 players. Its something you won’t want to miss as we talk about the All-Time Greatest Players in Syracuse History.
#35: Vic Hanson
Forward: 1924-1927
Vic Hanson was three sport star while at SU and excelled at everything he did. Despite that, he’s hard to place when compared to SU’s all-time greats. Grantland Rice, a sportswriter during Hanson’s lifetime, called him, “the best all-around athlete Syracuse ever had“, according to Orangehoops.org. Now Rice never lived to see the late 20th century athletes or 21st century athletes who played at Syracuse, as he died in 1954, but the fact he was bold enough to say that in his time tells you how talented Hanson was.
Vic played baseball, basketball, and football. Of those sports, in the latter two he was an All-American for three consecutive years (1925-1927), according to Cuse.com. In his junior year, 1926, he led Syracuse to its second National Championship during the Helms Athletic Foundation era. He only averaged about 14 points a game for his career, but that was good enough back then.
After college he joined the New York Yankees farm system where he played for one year. Following that he played one year of pro basketball in the ABL with Cleveland.
Following his short professional stints in baseball and basketball, he turned to coaching. He became an assistant basketball coach at Syracuse in 1928 & 1929, and then became the Head Football coach of Syracuse in 1930. Hanson was only 27 years old at the time. As Head Coach of the Orange Football program they went 33-21-5.
Since he played so long ago and the standards, rules, and opponents for basketball back then were far different than they are today, it is hard not to take his accomplishments with a grain of salt. To most, 14 points a game is just a role player. However, when you win a national championship in any era, then you take notice. Vic Hanson did just that which is why he lands here in our rankings even though his #8 jersey is retired (1981).
#34: Billy Gabor
Forward/Guard: 1942-1948
Billy ” The Bullet” Gabor, like Hanson before him, has a unique story. Gabor, a fast 5’11 guard, which earned him the nickname “The Bullet,” played basketball for SU around the time that World War II started. Gabor played one year before being called off to war. He averaged 14 points a game that year, according to Orangehoops.com.
During the war, Gabor served as a Lieutenant and bombardier in the Air Force, according to Syracuse.com. Following the war, he returned and played for SU for three more years, averaging 15.2, 16.3, and 15.0 points respectively from 1945-1948.
Though those are role playing numbers in our eyes, those were good numbers for that era in basketball. In fact, he was the first Syracuse basketball player ever to score over 400 points in a season, with 409 in the 1946-1947 season, according to Syracuse.com. That performance earned him All-American honors that season.
In addition, Gabor finished his career with 1,344 points which was the most in school history until Dave Bing broke it in the 1960’s. Gabor may not have been the flashiest, or tallest guy Syracuse has ever had, but his ability to play well before and after serving for our country shows he deserves to be on this list. It’s also why his #17 jersey was retired in 2009.
#33: Demetris Nichols
Forward: 2003-2007
Nichols was not a huge star while in Orange, but he was better than the talent that surrounded him. Tied with Billy Gabor on the All-Time SU Scoring list at 1,344 points, Nichols was a sharpshooter who liked the big moments. He only averaged 3-4 points his first two years in Orange before exploding for 13 and 19 points in his junior and senior seasons, according to Orangehoops.org.
Nichols was especially good at hitting the mid-range and three-point shot. He did not share the basketball much, but was still a threat every time he came down the floor. That’s mostly because he could create shots for himself.
In his senior year, he garnered Honorable mention All-American honors as well as Big East First Team honors, according to Cuse.com. As a result, he earned a second round selection as the 53rd pick in the NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers.
Soon after the draft though, he was traded to the New York Knicks. Nichols would be cut before the season began though, and was picked up by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Nichols would play only four more games in his second year with the Bulls and Knicks combined. Since then, Nichols has played international basketball for multiple professional teams.
Nichols earns his spot on this list because he’s someone we’ll always remember for one reason: he could score with the best of them.
#32: Vinnie Cohen
Forward: 1954-1957
Vinnie Cohen was a star forward for Syracuse in the 1950’s. As a sophomore, he averaged 15.8 points per game on a squad that went 10-11, according to Nunesmagician.com. He would improve those numbers as a junior to 18.2 points per game, and as a result, the team went 14-11. As most players do, they saved their best statistical performances for their senior year.
Cohen scored 24.2 points per game his senior year, according to Orangehoops.org, and led the Orange to the Elite Eight before losing to a taller and more talented North Carolina squad. He would be named an All-American that year and was drafted 23rd in the 1957 NBA Draft, by the Syracuse Nationals, according to CollegeHoopedia.com.
He would opt not to play pro basketball though and pursue a career as a lawyer. He would return to Syracuse and graduate with a law degree in 1960. He currently stands at 36th on the Syracuse All-Time Scoring list. Cohen will be remembered for his ability to score as well how he starred for the Orange before Boeheim ever came on the scene.
“You had to earn your spot. You had to pay your dues. You respected the older guys on the team. You carried the ball bags and the suitcases on the road. I rode the bench, but I worked hard in practice.” -Greg Kohls
#31: Greg Kohls
Guard: 1969-1972
Greg “Kid” Kohls was one of the best scorers in Syracuse basketball history. Due to NCAA rules though he had to wait until almost junior year to show that.
Note: Freshman were not eligible to play for varsity in the 1970’s because the NCAA prohibited it. According to Mike Water’s book, “Legends of Syracuse Basketball (2004)”, Kohls played for the freshman team his first year because of NCAA rules, and averaged 20.5 points per game as a freshman.
***Inside The Loud House omitted this information in its original posting, and want to thank Mr Groopman, a reader of Inside the Loud House, for making us aware of this.
During his sophomore year, he only averaged 2.2 points per game, but would explode to average 22.1 points per game as a junior. The reason for the drop off from freshman year to sophomore year was two-fold. One, it was Kohl’s first year on varsity. Second, he received little playing time because veterans Tommy Green and Ernie Austin took a lot of the minutes at his position.
According to Waters (2004), Kohl’s described his sophomore year this way: “You had to earn your spot. You had to pay your dues. You respected the older guys on the team. You carried the ball bags and the suitcases on the road. I rode the bench, but I worked hard in practice.”
By Kohls’ Junior year, Coach Roy Danforth was so confident in Kohl’s he told him to score whenever he was open. A guard standing at only 6’1, he constantly made defenders pay for backing off of him, especially from long-range. If they played too physical on defense against him he would earn the foul, and make his free throws. He finished 82.4% from the stripe for his Syracuse basketball career, according to Orangehoops.org.
His senior year, he averaged 26.7 points per game, which is second only to the great Bing for the most per game in a season, according to Orangehoops.org. He would also score greater than 30 points a game in 11 games that season. That’s an amazing statistic because he also led the team in assists for that season as well.
Kohl’s was drafted in the 7th round by the Buffalo Braves in 1972 Draft, according to Cuse.com. He would not play a game in the NBA though and would instead play a few seasons with the Washington Generals, who many know are the main opponent for the Harlem Globetrotters.
Next: Syracuse Basketball: Top 50 Players in School History (40-36)
To this day, Kohl’s is right up there among the best scorers in Syracuse Basketball history. He probably would be higher up this if I had seen him during my time period. However, without seeing him play its hard to judge his career. The fact that he played well at SU, but failed to earn an NBA spot makes you wonder why. In my book, Kohls is a bit of mystery, but a great player nonetheless.