Syracuse Basketball: Top 8 Jim Boeheim coaching jobs in history
By Neil Adler
2002-03
Do I really need to provide details on what happened in this magical year? Okay, fine. Syracuse, under the guidance of freshmen sensations Carmelo Anthony and Gerry McNamara, along with Hakim Warrick and others, produced a 30-5 overall record and got Boeheim his first, and only, national championship.
The No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament’s East Region, the Orange blew past No. 1 seed Oklahoma in the Elite Eight to reach the Final Four. In the national semi-finals, SU won against another No. 1 seed from the Big 12, Texas, to help JB advance to a third title tilt, this time around versus No. 2 seed Kansas and its storied head coach, Roy Williams.
McNamara caught fire in the first half against the Jayhawks, making a bunch of 3-pointers. I can’t even begin to tell you how nervous I felt as Kansas chipped away at our lead after intermission. However, Warrick’s monumental block with 1.5 seconds remaining enabled Syracuse to escape, 81-78. Anthony got named the tourney’s Most Outstanding Player, ‘Cuse Nation went nuts, and I’m pretty sure that I didn’t sleep at all that night. Just beautiful.