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SU Top 100: #52 Etan Thomas

Our list of the Top 100 SU athletes continues with the greatest rim protector in SU Basketball history.

You can find the Fizz’s SU Top 100 list here. Make sure you keep checking in to see who made the list and where they are ranked!

Etan Thomas was a brick wall on defense for the Orange from 1996-2000. By the time he finished up on the hill, Thomas swatted 424 shots, the most by any player in SU history. In the Big East, he was awarded Defensive Player of the Year twice, in 1999 and 2000. Along with that, he was named to the All-Big East team three times and was the Most Improved Player of 1998. 

He led Syracuse to two Big East titles, in 1998 and 2000, helping to cement him into the greatest players to ever play in Orange threads. 

When he left Syracuse, the Harlem native was selected 12th overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2000 NBA Draft. He played 9 seasons in the NBA as a solid big man for the Wizards, Thunder, and Hawks.

He absolutely deserves to be on this list, arguably a little bit higher, as it’s debatable for him to be regarded as the greatest big in SU basketball history, among names like Derrick Coleman, John Wallace, or Rony Seikaly. 

After his basketball career, Thomas became a voice for athlete activism with his book, “We Matter: Athletes and Activism”

The Fizz is owned, edited and operated by Damon Amendolara. D.A. is an ’01 Syracuse graduate from the Newhouse School with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

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