Syracuse Basketball: Top 30 Players in School History

Derrick Coleman was a beast for Syracuse Basketball and definitely belongs among the best SU players of All-Time. Standing at 6’10, Coleman was recruited by Syracuse Basketball legend Dave Bing to play at Syracuse University. Luckily for the Orange, he committed, and the rest is history.

“DC”, as he was affectionately called by the Orange faithful, according to Orangehoops.org, was a tremendous rebounder and inside scorer, especially when he dunked the ball. By the end of his career, he was also able to hit the three-point shot, which made him a stretch-four which the NBA didn’t have a ton of yet.

As a freshman, Coleman made an immediate impact. He received around 30 minutes a game from coach Boeheim and did not waste them. He would average 11.9 points, shoot 56% from the field, grab 8.8 rebounds, and block 1.8 shots, according to Sports-reference.com.

To start out that rookie season, Coleman and the Orangemen were not expected to do much or be major contenders. However, the team had lots of talent with the likes of Sherman Douglas, Rony Seikaly, Howard Triche, Greg Monroe, and Stevie Thompson, along with Coleman on board. As a result, the team started the season 15-0. The Orangemen would finish 31-7 overall and 12-4 in the Big East and be the Big East Regular Season Champions, according to Orangehoops.org. In addition, Coleman would garner Big East Rookie of the Year and NCAA All-Tournament Team honors for his play.

In the Big East Tournament, The Orangemen would make it to the Big East Championship game only to lose to Georgetown. Syracuse and Coleman would regroup though and run through the NCAA Tournament and make it to the Championship Game against Indiana.

With 28 seconds to go and Syracuse up 73-72, Coleman was fouled and would go to the line for and 1-and-1 with a chance to seal the game. Up to that point, Coleman had gone 2 of 3 from the line. Unfortunately, Coleman would miss the first free throw, and Indiana would rebound. As the shot clock expired on that next possession Keith Smart of Indiana would hit “the shot” which would give Indiana the national title, 74-73. That free throw would be the biggest miss of Coleman’s career and a costly one at that. Despite a disappointing ending, Coleman would finish with an incredible 19 rebounds to pair with three blocks and eight points, according to Cuse.com.

To open his sophomore season, Syracuse was ranked the Preseason #1 team. The Orangemen would go 26-9 overall and 11-5 in the Big East but fall one game short of the Big East Regular Season Championship. They would, however, win the Big East Tournament Title. The Orange would enter the NCAA tournament as a 3-seed but would lose in the second round to 11th-seeded Rhode Island, which was a tremendous upset at that time. Coleman would finish his sophomore campaign averaging 13.5 points, 11 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, and 2.2 assists.

As a Junior, Coleman’s numbers rose once again because he was moved to the center position to replace Rony Seikaly. At his new position, he averaged 16.9 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.4 blocks, and 2.9 assists. He would guide the Orangemen to a 30-8 record and an Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

In his last season with Syracuse basketball, Coleman made sure to leave on a high note. Against CW Post, Coleman achieved a triple-double of 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, according to Orangehoops.org.  Syracuse would go 26-7 overall and win the Big East Regular Season title as well as advance to the Sweet 16. Coleman would average 17.9 points, 12.1 rebounds, two blocks, and 2.9 assists in that senior season. As a result, he would be named a First Team All-American as well as the Big East Player of the Year.

His stellar college career led Derrick Coleman to be selected as the 1st overall pick of the 1990 NBA Draft. To this day he is the only Syracuse player ever to be drafted first in the NBA Draft, according to Basketball.RealGM.com. Coleman finished his SU career leading the Orange to 114 wins and only 30 losses, which is a Syracuse Basketball record for an individual’s career.

Coleman also finished with multiple other achievements. He led the Orange to four NCAA appearances, one national title appearance, two Big East Regular Season Championships, one Big East Tournament Championship, and four 26+ win seasons. In addition, he garnered First Team Big East honors his sophomore, junior, and senior season, as well as Third Team Big East Honors as a freshman.

Coleman would go onto to have a great NBA career, playing 15 seasons with the New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia ’76ers, Charlotte Hornets, and Detroit Pistons. He would average 16.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks, according to Basketball-reference.com.

In addition to an outstanding four-year career with Syracuse Basketball, Coleman sits highly on multiple all-time lists at SU: 2nd in scoring, 1st in rebounds (1,537), 3rd in blocks, 1st in free throws made, 6th in field goals made, 5th in field goal percentage, 2nd in minutes played, and 21st in assists, according to Orangehoops.org and Cuse.com.

He also is among the greatest of all-time in college basketball: 22nd in career rebounds (but 3rd in career rebounds post-1973), and 3rd in career double-doubles, according to the NCAA’s website. Additionally, his #44 uniform was retired, making him one of twelve players in Syracuse Basketball history to receive that honor.

Coleman is considered by many to be right up there next to the All-Time greats in college basketball which is why he sits in our Top 3. Any player who can average a double-double for his college career as well as lead a team to multiple conference championships deserves to be recognized for those achievements.

Coleman is an icon in Syracuse and will be for a long time. Many Syracuse Basketball fans consider him the best big man the Orangemen have ever had and might ever have again. If that’s not an outstanding legacy, I don’t know what it is. fact is: Derrick Coleman was a superstar while playing for Syracuse University, and as such he will never be forgotten.