Syracuse Basketball: Breaking down Orange all-time sophomore team

We picked the Syracuse basketball all-time freshman team and now we turn to the Sophomores. Some returning names and others who made the leap in year two.

Syracuse Basketball has had some notable sophomore year campaigns in team history. Whether it is freshmen studs who build off of their first years, highly touted recruits who struggled to start their careers, or some surprises that took charge for the Orange.

In the freshman edition, we explored how Gerry McNamara and Carmelo Anthony lead Syracuse to a National Championship, Roosevelt Bouie anchored Coach Jim Boeheim’s first team, how Pearl Washington became a legend and Billy Owens stood-out on a veteran team.

During this exercise, it has become clear that as we move towards the upperclassmen there are tougher decisions. The depth through the program grows. This is to account for players staying three and four years more often in the 1980s and 1990s. Also players like Dave Bing who could not play their freshman year are now eligible.

A reminder to the selection process. Individuals are judged on their performances. Awards and honors are considered when deciding between selections. Team performance and success will be considered as different teams required different types of contributions, but will not be the main deciding factor. Players are considered based on what academic year they’re classified as. So Wes Johnson will be considered a junior and Andrew White III will be a senior.

So now let’s look at some sensational sophomores in Syracuse program history.