Carmelo Anthony is best college basketball player to wear 15

A social media debate pitted former college basketball stars against each other in search of the greatest to wear 15. Spoiler, it’s Carmelo Anthony.

Although he only stayed one year on the Hill, Carmelo Anthony did what no Syracuse basketball player has ever done. He led the Orange to a national championship.

‘Melo did this while putting up arguably the best numbers ever by a freshman, averaging 22.2 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.6 steals. This included multiple double doubles in the NCAA Tournament, with perhaps his best game coming against the Texas Longhorns in the Final Four.

However, a more interesting debate was proposed by Fox College Hoops. Posted on their social media accounts, it asked the question of who is the greatest college basketball player to ever don the 1-5. Of course, Anthony was listed as an option, but he was joined by the following players:

• Jahlil Okafor of Duke
• Mario Chalmers of Kansas
• Vince Carter of North Carolina
• Kawhi Leonard of San Diego State
• Malcolm Brogdon of Virginia
• Kemba Walker of UConn
• Sam Dekker of Wisconsin

Now, all of these guys had tremendous impacts on their programs. However, if I had to narrow it down to a smaller list, Anthony, Carter, Leonard, and Walker would be the top four. Those four really had special impacts on their specific schools, with Anthony, Leonard, and Walker arguably the top players in the history of their respective programs.

However, after really studying it, it’s hard to come up with any answer other than Carmelo Anthony or Kemba Walker. They’re the only two on this list that not only won a national championship, but did it as the sole leader of their team, often taking over games. They had certain edges that were hard for opponents to compete with.

For Walker, it was his killer instinct that put him above the rest of his competition. His step-back jumper over Pitt in the Big East Tournament is one of the most iconic shots in the history of college basketball. Also, given his 6-foot-1 stature, he took heart over hustle to an extreme. Walker averaged 23.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists during his senior year, en route to UConn’s third of four titles.

Meanwhile, for ‘Melo, it was all about his NBA moves on the college court. Watch any highlight tape of his college career, and you can often find broadcasters commenting on his abilities, which far surpassed everyone else in college basketball during the 2002-03 season. He could hit the three, finish on just about anyone at the rim, and used his strength to out muscle guys on the boards. Above all, Anthony’s one-on-one talents made it virtually impossible to guard him.

However, my vote goes to ‘Melo. What he did as a freshman was so tremendous, I can’t overlook it. What Walker did was undoubedtly amazing, and I try to keep that bias out of it. However, Carmelo Anthony was a man amongst boys in college hoops.

Be sure to let us know who you think is the greatest college hooper to ever wear No. 15!

P.S. – we’ve got our vote 😉