Syracuse Basketball: Carmelo Anthony No. 5 on one-and-done list absurd

Syracuse basketball legend Carmelo Anthony got a bit snubbed in a feature on top one-and-done college seasons.

Putting aside my bias as a ‘Cuse alum, a legitimate argument can be made to say that former Syracuse basketball star Carmelo Anthony put forth the premier one-and-done term in the history of collegiate hoops.

He averaged better than 22 points and 10 rebounds per contest, as a freshman, while leading the Orange to the program’s first and only national title during the 2002-03 stanza.

So factoring in his individual statistics – Anthony got placed on the Associated Press All-American second squad – with how his team fared in the Big Dance, to me, makes it somewhat of a no brainer that Melo had the best one-and-done season ever.

Of course, some ‘Cuse fanatics and people not having any allegiance to the Orange basketball program or Syracuse University in general might disagree, and that’s fair.

To that end, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently published a cool feature ranking the top-10 one-and-done campaigns of all-time. Unsurprisingly, Anthony made the cut, checking in at No. 5. But, for my money, he should have placed even higher.

Syracuse basketball sensation Carmelo Anthony got slightly hosed in a piece on the best one-and-done terms ever.

The four players who Miller arranged above Anthony, in order, are No. 1 Michael Beasley of Kansas State, No. 2 Zion Williamson of Duke, No. 3 Anthony Davis of Kentucky and No. 4 Kevin Durant of Texas.

Miller notes that this story only focused on what these guys did in college, and primary attention was given to individual statistics and accolades, with consideration of NCAA Tournament success also part of the criteria.

Without question, the quartet of players ahead of Anthony all had fabulous freshmen seasons. Some of them accumulated more individual accolades because they, for example, scored more points per contest than Anthony did. Yet only Davis matched Anthony in winning a March Madness crown.

"Miller wrote in part of Anthony, “Because he was only the No. 3 pick and because he was only a second-team AP All-American, we’re limiting Anthony to No. 5 on this list. He’s the sentimental No. 1, though, for being the only one who played college basketball when he wasn’t required to do so.”"

Those are fair points to make, however, I’d still put Anthony at the top. Or, at a minimum, slotted at No. 2 behind Davis.