The Syracuse Orange basketball program has been an elite program for a long time. Almost legendary Jim Boeheim is synonymous with the program, it has a lot of history from even before he coached and played there. It’s also charting a new future and legacy following his retirement.
The program has won one national championship, made the Final Four six times, and the Elite Eight 10 times. It also has a slew of Big East Championships and iconic games against rivals like Georgetown, UConn, and St. John’s, not to mention its current ACC rivals.
Along the way, the Orange has produced several of the greatest basketball stars of all time going back to the origins of the game. Many of the names on this list will be familiar to some while others might be a surprise.
Here are the top 10 Syracuse Orange men’s basketball players of all time.
10. Lew Castle, center
You have to be an Orange basketball historian to remember Lew Castle, but he was the first two-time All-American for the program. Castle averaged around 13 points per game and helped lead Syracuse to an undefeated season in the 1913-14 season. See, we told you the list would take you back to the origins of the game.
9. Vic Hanson, forward
Vic Hanson has the rare distinction of playing both football and basketball for the Orange and being part of three Halls of Fame: the College Football Hall of Fame, College Basketball Hall of Fame, and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Hanson is a three-time All-American who averages 14 points per game while playing for SU. Hanson can be considered the godfather of Syracuse basketball.
8. Sherman Douglas, point guard
When you think of good Syracuse point guards, one of the first names that comes to mind is Sherman Douglas. Douglas was a two-time All-American and three-time first-team Big East selection. Douglas set an NCAA record with 960 career assists, and his seven assists per game average ranks No. 1 in school history. He also ranks among Syracuse’s top-10 scorers with 2,060 points and sits third with 797 made field goals and during the 1988-89 season, he averaged over 18 points and almost nine assists per game.
7. Dave Bing, guard
Dave Bing was one of the greatest ever to put on an Orange uniform. Bing was an All-American in 1966 back when he was the college roommate of Jim Boeheim. During his time in school, Bing averaged 24.8 points and 10.3 rebounds, with 1,883 total points and 786 total rebounds in 76 games. The future mayor of Detroit was the first consensus All-American the school had in 39 years. He is part of the College Basketball Hall of Fame and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and also had a fantastic NBA career.
6. Billy Owens, forward/guard
In his three seasons at Syracuse, Owns averaged 17.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. In 1990, he was a first-team All-Big East and a third-team All-American. His junior season in 1991 was a standout year when he was first-team All-Big East, consensus first-team All-American, and Big East Player of the Year. His No. 30 was retired by the school.
5. Rony Seikaly, center
Rony Seikaly was a beast at center for Syracuse during their national championship run in the 1987-88 season. Seikaly was an All-American and graduated as the school’s all-time leading rebounder, second in school history in blocked shots, and fourth in school history in scoring. He is also a three-time first-team All-Big East selection and he was only the second player ever to record 1,000 points and rebounds during his time at Syracuse.
4. Dwayne “Pearl” Washington, point guard
The Peal was the TRUTH when he played for the Cuse back in the day. Washington was a two-time All-American and three-time first-team All-Big East selection. He also averaged 15.7 points on 52.6 percent shooting and 6.7 assists. His 637 career assists rank fourth among all Syracuse players. Washington was a playground legend back in Brooklyn and was a prize recruit when Boeheim landed him. His half-court shot to beat Boston College in 1984 remains one of the most iconic moments in Syracuse basketball history. Unfortunately, he died from cancer in 2016.
3. Hakim Warrick, power forward
Hakim Warrick’s name gets lost when it comes to some of the greatest to put on an Orange uniform but Warrick was one of the players that helped lead them to their only national championship in 2003. Not only that, but Warrick is a two-time All-American, Big East Player of the Year, and Big East Tournament MVP. Warrick finished his career with averages of 15.4 points on 53.6% shooting, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. He finished second all-time at Syracuse in free throws made (529) and free throws attempted (803), third for consecutive double-figure scoring games (61), and fourth in points (2,073) and rebounds (1,025).
2. Derrick Coleman, power forward/center
Derrick Coleman, along with Rony Seikaly, was part of the Cuse squad that lost to the Indiana Hoosiers in the national 1987 championship title game. That season, Coleman was a freshman off the bench but as the years went by, he grew into a dominant player. Coleman was SU’s second-leading career scorer with 2,143 points and the school’s all-time leading rebounder with 1,537. Coleman was also a two-time All-American and the Big East Player of the Year averaging 17.9 points and 12.1 boards in 1989-90.
1. Carmelo Anthony, small forward
Although he only played one season with the school, Carmelo Anthony is considered by many as the greatest to ever play for the Orange. He, along with Hakim Warrick, led the Orange to their only national championship in 2003. While the focus was on Warrick, it was Anthony who became the star. Anthony was not only named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, he was an All-American and National Freshman of the Year. Anthony averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds per game that season.
After the Orange won the championship game where Anthony scored 20 points and 10 rebounds, Boeheim said of Anthony “by far, the best player in college basketball. It wasn’t even close. Nobody was even close to him last year in college basketball. That’s the bottom line”
