Syracuse Basketball: Top 30 Players in School History

Carmelo Anthony may be the most talented, most gifted, and most athletic player on this entire list. The only reason he sits one spot out from the top spot is because the player that owns that spot was one in a million and even Boeheim considers him the best player ever to play for Syracuse Basketball. To be second on this list is an honor in and of itself.

Carmelo Anthony played only one year at Syracuse and usually in our minds as we look over all these great and legendary players that would be detrimental in his ability to be high on this list. However, in that one year, he was a star like no other and led Syracuse to its one and only national championship under Boeheim in the modern era.

Melo, as he’s affectionately called by many Syracuse Basketball fans, came into SU  highly touted as the next Lebron James. Considered a once in a generation type player coming in, he lived up to the hype and the expectations.

He wasn’t cocky, arrogant, or demanding, he just slipped into his role and excelled at it. Normally a player with as much talent as he had would want the ball in his hands every time down the floor, but Anthony was different. He always was mature and unselfish while on the floor. The ultimate teammate, Carmelo made those around him better and always wore a big smile on his face.

As a freshman, Anthony had one of the best seasons ever for a college freshman. In his first three games, he scored more than 27 points a game, according to Orangehoops.org. and showed that he and Syracuse were going to be a force to be reckoned with. That one season in Orange he averaged 22.2 points, 10 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.9 blocks, and shot 70% from the free-throw line, according to Sports-reference.com.

Anthony would lead Syracuse to a 30-5 record (13-3 in the Big East), be ranked 11th in the Final AP Poll, be named the Big East Regular season Champion, and earn a three seed in the NCAA Tournament. In addition, he would put Syracuse on his back and lead them past multiple #1 seeds in Oklahoma and Texas according to Fox.Sports.com.

In the deep NCAA tournament run, Carmelo would average 20.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, and scored 53 points to go with 24 rebounds in the Final Four according to CBSSports.com. In the National Title game versus #2 seed Kansas, Anthony would lead the team in scoring with 20 points on 7 for 16 shooting, to pair with 10 rebounds and seven assists. That performance along with stellar play from Hakim Warrick and Gerry McNamara led Syracuse to win the National title.

After the season, Anthony was named Big East Rookie of the Year, USBWA Freshman of the Year, and NCAA Tournament MVP. In addition, he was named to the First Team All-Big East, NCAA All-Tournament Team, and Second Team All-American. He would declare for the NBA Draft following the season and was selected 3rd overall by the Denver Nuggets.

Since then, Anthony has constantly returned to Syracuse to help the community and the University. His most notable contribution was his $3 million donation to help create the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center which Syracuse Basketball uses to practice. It is a state of the art facility for multiple aspects of training and preparation for games among other things.

Among other achievements, he has served on four medal-winning teams in the Olympic games; three gold and one bronze. After the Rio Olympics in 2016, Carmelo Anthony retired from International basketball as the sole owner of multiple USA Basketball records: most points, rebounds, wins, games, and medals. Though he has never been to the NBA Finals, he has been to the Playoffs 10 times in 14 seasons, and he has averaged 24.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game on the way to 10 NBA All-Star appearances, according to LandofBasketball.com.

Though his professional and international career has been fantastic, Carmelo Anthony’s true legacy lies in his accomplishments at Syracuse. Not many players have had, or ever will have, a season quite like the one season Carmelo had while playing for the Orangemen. It’s one thing to be a star athlete and a good teammate, but its another to be talented enough to put the team on your back and bring them a national championship.

To this day, Anthony is considered one of the most memorable college players ever in its rich history. Even the number one player on our list can’t boast that. That’s why it makes sense that only years after he played ball with the Orangemen that his #15 uniform was retired. It’s for that reason and many more that Carmelo Anthony is considered by many to be one of the top two players to ever play for Syracuse Basketball.