Syracuse Basketball: Top 30 Players in School History

To those who know of Andy Rautins who played several years ago, Leo Rautins is his father. Leo played almost 30 years before his son and was even more dominant.

He started his college career in Minnesota and was second in the Big Ten conference in assists by the end of the season. (Magic Johnson, one of the best basketball players of all-time was first, so Leo was in good company.) He would average 8.3 rebounds, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assists as a freshman and make the Big 10 All-Rookie team.

Following his freshman year at Minnesota, he transferred to Syracuse University. After sitting out a year due to transfer rules, he would come on strong the following season. He averaged 9.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists from his forward position. He would also tip in a buzzer-beater over Villanova to clinch Syracuse’s first Big East Tournament Championship.

He raised his averages in his junior year to 13.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.2 assists. He would also record a triple-double of 12 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists versus St. Peters in the NIT Tournament.

As a senior, Leo was made tri-captain with Erich Santifer and Tony Bruin. He would live up to that title, setting Big East history when he recorded the first triple-double in Big East Play with a 12 point, 13 rebound, 10 assist performance against Georgetown. He would have another Big East triple-double later that season against Boston College with a 13 point, 11 rebound, and 13 assist performance. He would average 14.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 6.2 assists that senior season.

Leo Rautins would be drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft with the 17th overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers. Unfortunately, he only played two seasons in the NBA, as an old knee injury he had while at Syracuse kept hurting his play.

Leo’s career statistics aren’t terribly impressive. However, not many Syracuse players can say they’ve ever had a triple-double while in college. The fact that he was both a good distributor and scorer made him special and cemented his legacy among Syracuse’s all-time greatest players. Though he’s only 61st all-time on Syracuse’s scoring list, he more than made up for it with stellar offensive play and being a good teammate. That’s the legacy he left at Syracuse, and it’s a legacy Andy, his son, would continue at Syracuse many years down the line.