NCAA Basketball: Mount Rushmores for the top 25 programs of all-time

Syracuse Basketball Mount Rushmore: Jim Boeheim, Carmelo Anthony, Pearl Washington, Derrick Coleman

Jim Boeheim

Obviously. It feels like Jim Boeheim is the only person that has ever coached the Syracuse Orange and is the program’s all-time coaching leader in pretty much every category. His 946 official wins (101 were vacated) are second all-time behind Mike Krzyzewski, but with the vacated wins, his 1,047 would put him only 85 behind Coach K.

There is simply no doubting Boeheim’s legacy. He led the Orange to 10 Big East regular season titles, five Big East conference titles, five Final Fours – including two this decade – and the program’s only national championship. Any conversation about Syracuse basketball starts and ends with Boeheim.

Carmelo Anthony

Carmelo Anthony only spent one season with the Orangemen, but so what? That one season was the only season that ended in a national championship for Syracuse and their star freshman was the biggest reason for that.

The consensus National Freshman of the Year averaged 22.2 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, both of which ranked in the top 20 nationally. Anthony only elevated his play in the NCAA Tournament, setting the freshman single-game scoring record with 33 points against the Texas Longhorns in the Final Four.

After recording 20 points and 10 rebounds against the Kansas Jayhawks in the championship game, Anthony was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player.

Though Anthony has not been able to win a title at the NBA level, he has had a Hall-of-Fame career. He’s a 10-time All-Star, won three gold medals and has a career average of 24.0 points per game.

Pearl Washington

Ever wonder what that “31” is doing in the middle of Syracuse’s logo at center court in the Carrier Dome? That’s for Pearl Washington, and it’s at the spot on the court where he made the game-winning buzzer beater against the Boston College Eagles in 1984.

Washington has had as big an impact on the Syracuse program as anyone thanks to his stature as the No. 1 overall recruit in the country and his flashy style of play. He started every game he played in for the Orangemen and averaged 17.3 points, 7.8 assists, and 2.6 steals per game as a junior, all of which were career highs.

Washington, a two-time All-American and three-time All-Big East selection, left school after that season and was taken No. 13 overall by the then-New Jersey Nets. However, he only lasted three seasons in the league.

Derrick Coleman

Derrick Coleman’s name is all over the Syracuse record books. He owns the program record for career rebounds (1,537) and is second on the school’s career scoring list (2,143). Coleman also led the Orange to their first ever national championship game in 1987 as a freshman and played well, grabbing 19 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough as they lost to the Indiana Hoosiers.

An All-Big East selection every season, Coleman saw his scoring and rebounding averages improve every season, culminating in a senior year that saw him average 17.9 points and 12.1 rebounds per game. He was named Big East Player of the Year for his efforts.