Inside the Loud House
Fansided

Who is the Syracuse Orange ‘Person of the Year’?

By Kevin Weinheimer

HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 31: National Collegiate Athletic Association President Mark Emmert speaks during a press conference prior to the 2016 NCAA Men's Final Four at NRG Stadium on March 31, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 31: National Collegiate Athletic Association President Mark Emmert speaks during a press conference prior to the 2016 NCAA Men's Final Four at NRG Stadium on March 31, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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John Gillon

While we had just gotten to know and love him over his one and only season at Syracuse, Gillon certainly made up for lost time in the memory-making department. He was a consistent leader on the team, being one of the main reasons the Orange even had a fighting chance at the NCAA Tournament last March. John scored 43 points against NC State in a game on the road that the Orange were down 16 points with just under 9 minutes to play – a game that had to be won to keep the Orange in the postseason conversation. While a game like that will etch him in the memories of Syracuse fans for a long time, it was his buzzer beater against Duke that will make his stay in an Orange uniform one that will never be forgotten.

And we should be very thankful the shot went in. Otherwise, we would’ve been looking at an NIT season with blowout losses to South Carolina, Wisconsin, St. Johns, North Carolina, Notre Dame, and Louisville. When thinking of the 2016 season, that shot is the first thing that comes to mind. A professor on campus even gave three bonus points on a test because of it.

While the Orange didn’t make the NCAA Tournament, this certainly was an influential moment in the Syracuse news cycles in 2017.

Here’s what Gillon had to say following the shot:

"“Tyus (Battle) threw it to me and I thought we had 20 seconds left. I looked up and we only had five. I tried to speed up the court and three people were on me. I was (thinking) ‘I can get this off’. I kept my elbow in, followed through, and it went in.” “It brought back a lot of childhood memories watching Duke and Syracuse play on TV. I’ve always seen myself as a guard at this level but I’ve never had the opportunity until this year. To be able to play in this game and play against Duke, it was a dream come true. I don’t take it for granted. I’m glad I could play like that on that stage.”"

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