The Syracuse basketball program has a storied history, but who are the top 10 three point scorers in history? ITLH breaks it down.
Syracuse basketball has a storied past – we all know that. A history that includes Hall of Famers, NBA stars, and more. But the big question on everyone’s minds is who is the greatest three point shooter in Syracuse basketball history?
There are obviously a ton of choices to sift through and coming up with a consensus top-10 list is impossible. But we’ll give it the good ole college try and see what happens.
Yet, this was really, really, REALLY hard. There are probably 15 other guys who could have easily made this list. However, I decided to keep it at 10 for the purpose of suspense.
So you can better understand where I’m coming from, here are the qualifications I used to come up with this list. The amount of 3’s each player made, their career 3-point shooting percentage, and how good their 3-point shooting was in comparison to the time frame they played in.
In other words, 150 made three’s in a career during the 1990’s is figured to be better than 150 made three’s during the 2010’s. All stats were found through basketballreference.com.
10. Tyler Lydon
Lydon cracks this list due to both his consistent 3-point shooting and the overall amount that he made while in Orange.
In two seasons, Lydon made a total of 98 three’s – 49 each year. He also shot 41% behind the arc during his freshman campaign, and 40% his sophomore season.
Lydon actually shot a better percentage his freshman year, making at least one three in all but seven games, and hitting three or more 3’s in five games. Perhaps his best showing from three point range during his freshman year was a loss against Pitt, in which Lydon was 4 of 8 from behind the arc.
Lydon’s percentage went down a bit in his second season at Cuse, but was still very good nonetheless. Tyler connected on four threes in a game twice; once against South Carolina State and another game against Cornell. However, he went on a cold streak to end the season, only hitting 5-of-21 in his final seven games.
Tyler’s most memorable three of his Syracuse career came against Virginia in the 2016 Elite Eight. Lydon lost his his shoe at the top of the key, only for Michael Gbinije to toss it aside while dribbling. Tyler then rolled off a pick & roll to the wing, caught the ball, pump faked, and hit a three – all with only one shoe.
Of course, Lydon is a testament to the ever so changing way of how basketball is played. A 6-8 stretch forward, Lydon’s ability to shoot threes at a very consistent rate was the reason that he had a lot of success at Syracuse, and allowed the Orange to make their 2016 Final Four run (sorry America).
9. Demetris Nichols
Nichols was one of Syracuse’s most underappreciated players of all-time. Nichols played as a role-player during his first two seasons at Syracuse. However, he became a full time starter his junior season, and the go-to guy during his senior season.
As a 3-point shooter, Nichols was completely consistent, and got better every year. Nichols hit over 200 threes throughout his four years at Cuse, with a 3-point percentage of 36%.
Nichols really got going from the 3-point line during his junior year, with 73 total threes, good for a bit above 36%. He averaged above 13 a game this season, and his three ball was a big reason for the elevation in his game.
Nichols was lethal from three range his senior season. D-Nic put up almost 19 a game during the year, and his deep ball was even better than the year before. He hit a whopping 100 threes out of 240 attempts. Both of these were good for 2nd in the Big East conference for the 2006-07 season.
8. Andrew White III
White may have only played one year at Syracuse, but he deserves to be on this list 100%.
In two years at Kansas, White never really got the time he deserved, only getting in the game during garbage time. He only hit 18 threes while in a Jayhawks uniform.
White saw an increase in time at Nebraska, where he turned into a lethal scorer. His three point shot was a big reason for this, as he hit above 40% of his shots beyond the arc.
White then decided he wanted to come to Cuse for his senior season and final year of eligibility and boy did that turn out well for the Orange.
He started in all 34 games he played for Syracuse, and was a knock down 3-shooter from virtually anywhere on the court. A 6-7 guard, White’s height was key in allowing him to get so many shots off cleanly. He nailed 112 total threes for the Orange, a bit above 40% overall. In fact, White attempted over eight threes per game, and averaged over three made three’s each contest.
White made at least one three in all but two games for the Orange, and connected on five or more threes in eight different contests. Against Georgia Tech, White was pretty much unstoppable from downtown, hitting eight of nine from three range on his way to a career-high 40 points.
Perhaps one of his more memorable threes came against UConn at Madison Square Garden. A non-conference game, both teams struggled for most of the game, including White, who was only 3-of-11 from three. However, with less than 10 seconds remaining, White hit a deep three to tie the game up at 50 a piece. Cuse ended up losing on a (for lack of better words) total bullsh%$ call at the end, but the game tying three had the Garden jumping for a few moments.
7. Michael Gbinije
Another player who transferred to Syracuse, although Gbinije did play three years for the Orange. After getting next to no time at Duke, he took his talents to Upstate New York, and well, the rest is history.
Gbinije was used as a role player his sophomore season with the Cuse, only playing about 15 minutes a game. However, he did hit 15 threes, good for 35% behind the arc.
Michael really took off his junior year. He became a full time starter, and really made the most of it, averaging close to 13 a game. His three ball improved as well, as Gbinije was just shy of 40% on the season, with 49 made threes.
Gbinije improved even more in his final season with Syracuse, and was a big reason the Orange made their Final Four run. He hit 39% from deep for the second straight season, but shot many more 3’s, with a whopping total of 91 made long balls.
Gbinije was never a big time three ball shooter, as he also used his ability to get into the lane often. However, he did have consistent range and the ability to go off from downtown. Gbinije had one game his senior season, when he went 8-of-13 from three for 34 points against NC State. Players like Michael don’t come too often.
6. James Southerland
James Southerland comes in at number six for good reason.
Southerland hit over 150 career threes with a 3-point percentage of 37%. These numbers don’t blow you away, and actually aren’t as good as some of the guys before him. However, it was the fact that Southerland was used as a role player for almost the entirety of his career that makes these stats very impressive.
His freshman year was nothing special, but James showed potential, hitting 7-of-24 from behind the arc. However, his sophomore year he really took off, doubling his playing time to over 14 minutes per game. He improved his 3-point percentage to 37% and hit 25 total threes, giving the Orange a good option off the bench.
Southerland’s game only improved, and so did his court time, earning 16 minutes a game and scoring close to 7 points a game his junior season. His three point percentage went down, falling to only 34%, but he attempted far more, making 37 on the year.
Most of us will remember Southerland for his senior season. He was still used off the bench, primarily as the 6th man, but did start in 11 games and averaged close to 30 minutes of playing time per contest. He also scored over 13 a game, as Southerland was a threat for most defenses. His 3-pointer really got good, as James hit close to 40% of them, making over 80 on the season.
Southerland will easily be remembered for his performance in the Big East Tournament the year it split up, during his senior season. It started off in game one against Seton Hall, when he went 6-of-9 behind the arc. Southerland was merely unstoppable in the next game, going 6-of-6 from downtown against Pitt. GTown didn’t have an answer either, as Southerland went 4-of-10 from three against the Hoyas, putting Cuse in the Big East Championship game against Louisville. The Orange unfortunately blew a big lead in the 2nd half, but James still showed up, going 3-of-8 from long range against the Cardinals.
5. Preston Shumpert
Okay, now is when this list gets interesting. I thought long and hard about who to put here, and I finished with Preston Shumpert.
The four-year Orange forward played a huge role in each of his years in Orange. Shumpert hit an outstanding 249 threes in his collegiate career. He had a good percentage as well, at nearly 38%.
Shumpert only shot 29% from downtown in his first year at Cuse, but you could tell that he had the confidence to become a weapon from long range. He hit 27 total threes that season, never shying away from an open look.
Preston had his best percentage in his sophomore season, hitting 43% of his shots from three. He hit 54 threes to be exact, which helped him average just above 10 PPG.
Preston’s junior and senior seasons were out of this world. Both seasons he fell just shy of 40% from deep, and hit 80 or more in each of them. He averaged 20 PPG in each of these seasons as well, so his three ball was just one part of his game.
Unfortunately, Preston came up just a few years short of a National Championship, but he did often show up in the NCAA Tournament. In six tourney games, Shumpert hit 12 total threes, shooting 32% from behind the arc. He is often forgotten, as he played with the likes of Etan Thomas, Jason Hart, Damone Brown, and Ryan Blackwell during his time at Syracuse. Nonetheless, Shumpert was a special scorer, and good really light it up from downtown.
4. Eric Devendorf
Eric Devendorf possessed the toughness that any team would’ve love to have. He also had a lot of fun on the court, always trash talking. Oh, and he could drain a good amount of threes.
Devendorf was a four-year starter for Cuse, and from day one you could tell he could shoot it. He shot 38% behind the arc in his first year, nailing 50 long balls on the season. A freshman on this 2005-06 team, maybe he learned some of this skill from someone we’ve yet to mention…
Devendorf actually shot a little bit worse his next season, with his percentage lowering to 35%, only hitting a few more 3’s than the year prior. However, his scoring increased to just shy of 15 PPG, as his game was not just one dimensional.
Eric started out really good his junior season, at 41% from downtown, but it was cut short after an ACL injury sidelined him for the remainder of the season, granting him an extra year of eligibility.
Devo had his best season by far in his junior campaign. He scored almost 16 PPG, and made a career-high 82 threes in the season. Eric decided to forgo his last year of eligibility, and played overseas for a few seasons, before returning to Syracuse as the assistant strength coach in 2016.
If Eric hadn’t gotten injured, or had played one more season, who’s telling how many threes he would have hit. He finished his Syracuse career with 208, but that easily could have been in the 250-275 range if it wasn’t for his ACL injury. Nonetheless, Dev was a special player for the Orange.
3. Trevor Cooney
The only Syracuse basketball player to play in multiple final fours.
Cooney was never Mr. Reliable from downtown, but played on some special Syracuse teams, and could explode from downtown at any time.
In his four years at Cuse, Trevor hit 281 threes at 34%. His 281 still stand at number three in Orange history.
Trevor was a bench player his freshman season, scoring just above three points a contest. He only shot it 27% from downtown. Thus he was a work in progress.
Cooney started to show what he could do his sophomore year. He shot 38% from long range, his career-high, and hit 90 threes during the season. In the season opener against Cornell, Cooney was 7-of-8 from downtown, and against Notre Dame, he finished 9-of-12 from long range. His three shooting was a big reason in Cuse starting out 25-0.
Cooney didn’t have the best junior year, only shooting 31% from three and hitting just 71 overall. However, his point total went up, to over 13 PPG.
Cooney’s senior season was one for the books. He shot it better, at 35% and hit a career-high of 92 threes. Cooney had multiple games on the season with five or more threes and was a tough cover for anyone tasked with guarding him.
2. Andy Rautins
Rautins hit exactly one more three than Cooney in his Orange career, with 282 to be exact. However, he had a career 3-point percentage of 37%. He could be counted on for momentum threes throughout his entire college career.
Rautins didn’t have much of an impact his freshman year, only hitting 15 shots from behind the arc. However, he started 20 games his sophomore year, hitting 67 threes at 36% behind the arc.
Rautins really exploded his junior campaign, hitting a career high 102 3-pointers, at 37%. He also averaged in double-digits for the first time in his career, proving that he could be a weapon for the Cuse offense.
Andy had an even better senior season, with a very impressive 41% from downtown, with 98 threes to be exact. He also put up a career best of 12.2 PPG, 4.9 APG, and 3.4 RPG. Thus, Rautins improved every year, and was extremely reliable as a deep threat.
Unfortunately, Rautins only got to play in the NCAA Tournament twice, each time playing very well. During the 2009 tourney, Rautins played in three games, hitting six total deep balls. However, in 2010, Rautins was virtually unfazed from downtown, going 12-of-24 in the three games that Syracuse played in.
1. Gerry McNamara
Could we actually say anyone else?
McNamara was one of the most lethal three point shooters in NCAA history, let alone at Syracuse.
You could tell that G-Mac was a special player from the first time he stepped on the court. He started every single game he played for the Orange – 135 to be exact, and hit 400 total threes, which currently stands at 14th in NCAA history.
McNamara scored over 13 PPG his freshman season, hitting 85 shots from downtown at 36%. Together, G-Mac and the other freshman (I think his name was Carmelo or something?) led Syracuse to their first and only National Championship in school history. G-Mac hit a record six 3’s in the 1st half of the Natty.
McNamara continued to fire it from deep, with a career high 39% from downtown his sophomore season. He surpassed 100 threes in the season for the first of three times in his career, with 105 to be exact. In a tournament game against BYU in the first round, McNamara lit it up, going 9-of-13 from deep.
Make it rain!
G-Mac had another impressive season during the 2004-05 campaign, hitting a career best 107 threes at 34%. Thus, it only took Gerry three years to be the all-time leader in 3-pointers made at Syracuse.
Gerry actually had his worst 3-point percentage at 33% during his senior season, to which some people called him overrated (Jim Boeheim had a few words to say about that). However, McNamara still hit 103 three balls on the number. (THE VIDEO BELOW MAY CONTAIN SOME EXPLICIT LANGUAGE)
His most impressive performance was at the 2006 Big East Tournament. Syracuse, who needed a few wins to make the NCAA Tournament, called on Gerry, who delivered.
Next: Syracuse Basketball: Top 30 Players in School History
In game one against Cincy, McNamara hit a 3-point runner to give Cuse the win. McNamara followed that up with a game-tying three against No.1 UConn, and helped the Orange win the game in OT. If that wasn’t enough, G-Mac gave a pass to Devendorf in the final seconds of the semifinals, giving the Orange their first lead of the night against Pitt, another eventual win.