This past summer we at Orange Fizz made a top 100 list of Syracuse athletes. ACC Network just released a video titled, ‚ÄúSyracuse Basketball | Who is…the GOAT,‚Äù a discussion that spans across many sports and players now finds itself in Syracuse. It‚Äôs a good question, who is the greatest player to don Orange threads inside the Carrier Dome?
There are plenty of candidates that could fit this bill, let’s take a look at the players ACC Network deemed worthy of this conversation:
- Pearl Washington (1983-86)
Accolades:
- 1984 Big East Players of the Year
- 3x First-Team All-Big East
- 1986 Big East Tournament MVP
- Consensus All-American (1986)
Pearl is definitely one of the first names that comes to mind when you think the greatest Syracuse athletes in history. He had iconic moments such as his buzzer-beating half-court shot that ran Boston College out of the Dome in ‚Äò84, and was on top of his game when the Big East was thriving. Washington was conquering teams like Patrick Ewing‚Äôs Hoyas and St. John’s led by Chrus Mullin. It was a great time to be a fan of SU basketball, that‚Äôs thanks to the Pearl.
- Sherman Douglas (1985-89)
Accolades:
- 960 assists (1st in Syracuse History)
- Consensus All-American (1989)
- 2x First-Team All-Big East
- 2x Big East Tournament MVP
Sherman Douglas picked up right where Washington left off. The General could score and of course could facilitate. Although his 6’0’’ 180 lbs frame wasn’t the best for the top of the 2-3 zone, he played it relatively well, garnering a shade under 2 steals per game for his career. Douglas was also a large part of the reason SU was able to make it to NCAA final in 1987.
- Derrick Coleman (1986-90)
Accolades:
- 1,537 rebounds (1st in Syracuse history)
- Consensus All-American (1990)
- 1990 Big East Player of the Year
- 83 double-doubles (1st in Syracuse History)
Derrick Coleman was a certified beast in the Big East. D.C. went 1st overall in the NBA draft after a stellar 4-year career in Orange. There are some great bigs in the history of this team, it’s hard to argue he‚Äôs not the best one.
- John Wallace (1992-96)
Accolades:
- Consensus All-American (1996)
- 2x First-Team All-Big East
- 2,119 Points (3rd in Syracuse history)
- 1,065 Rebounds (3rd in Syracuse history)
If any SU big was as good as Derrick Coleman, it’s John Wallace. They both wore 44, Wallace’s was recently retired in the Dome, and rightfully so. The Rochester, NY native balled out in the 90s, nearly averaging a double-double each season he played.
- Carmelo Anthony (2002-03)
Accolades:
- 2003 Big East Freshman of the Year
- Consensus All-American (2003)
- NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player
- 2003 National Champion
It’s hard not to pick Melo in this conversation. The one-and-done brought a championship to the salt city and put up mind-numbing numbers along the way. Anthony averaged a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds per game. That’s crazy. The Baltimore native did it all on the court and ultimately ended up with the highest glory college basketball has to offer.
Carmelo Anthony was the highest ranking SU Basketball member of the Fizz Top 100, so you know where we stand on this discussion. With that said, here’s some SU greats that ACC Network left out of the conversation:
Accolades:
- Consensus All-American (1966)
- NCAA All-Region
- 1,883 Points (9th in Syracuse history)
- National Basketball Hall of Fame (1990)
Accolades:
- 2003 National Champion
- 258 Steals (2nd in Syracuse history)
- 648 Assists (3rd in Syracuse history
- 2,099 Points (4th in Syracuse history)
Accolades:
- 2,334 Points (1st in Syracuse history)
- 4x All-Big East
- 2x All-Big East Tournament
- Big East All-Freshman
