ACC Basketball: All-time starting five for each program (1980-2019)

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SYRACUSE, NY – FEBRUARY 23: Former Syracuse Orange player Carmelo Anthony (C) looks on with athletic director Daryl Gross, son Kiyan Carmelo Anthony and wife Alani Vasquez along with members of the 2003 national champions team in a presenation retiring his jersey, #15 during half time in the game against the Georgetown Hoyas at the Carrier Dome on February 23, 2013 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Nate Shron/Getty Images) /

Syracuse Orange

PG – Pearl Washington (1983-1986)

A legend. Pearl Washington was one of the signature players of 1980’s Big East basketball. A Brooklyn playground legend, he was nicknamed “Pearl” (actual name is Dwayne) due to his style of play emulating Bullets and Knicks great Earl “The Pearl” Munroe.

Washington was a 3x All-Big East selection and the 1984 Big East Rookie of the Year. He averaged at least 14-6-2.5-2 in all three seasons. He played 95 games for the Orange and started every single one, playing 3,166 of a possible 3,840 during his career.

Washington was selected 13th overall in the 1986 NBA draft. In 194 NBA games, he averaged 8.6 points and 3.8 assists. He also spent some time in the CBA.

SG – Lawrence Moten (1991-1995)

Moten was one of the first players I ever saw play. I was 10 years old and at a friend of my parents’ house. My parents were playing cards in the kitchen and I was watching the NCAA Tournament on CBS. Moten scored 27 points against an Arkansas team that would eventually lose to UCLA in the title game. The following season, I turned on ESPN2 for GTech’s first game of the season against Manhattan and saw Stephon Marbury play. From then on, I was a GT fan. You could say Lawrence Moten was the player that turned me on to college basketball.

Moten, a 4x All-Big East selection, averaged 19.3 points per game of a 121-game career and ended with 2,334 total points. He is currently sixth on the Big East All-Time scoring list and third on the career field goals made list. Even with all those points scored he still managed to find his self in the top 7 in the league in eFG% each of his four years on campus.

Moten was selected 36th overall in the 1995 NBA draft by the Vancouver Grizzlies. He played just 119 career games and averaged roughly six points per game. He also played in the CBA, ABA and overseas.

F – John Wallace (1992-1996)

Another spot that came down to two players. I went with Wallace because he was so incredible as a senior in the NCAA tournament. He was simply a one-man wrecking crew. That shot against Georgia in overtime was incredible. Everyone knew he was going to shoot it, there were two guys on him, and he just went to the spot and drilled it.

He finished his Syracuse career with over 2,000 points,1,000 rebounds, and 250 assists. He is the only player at Syracuse since 1992-93 to have accomplished that and one of just twelve in the entire NCAA in that time.

F – Carmelo Anthony (2002-2003)

Melo. The man only played 35 games at Syracuse but is spoken of as if he led them to a quartet of titles. You simply cannot deny, those were a special 35.

Melo was the No. 2 ranked player in a LOADED 2002 recruiting cycle and he did not disappoint. In his only year playing college basketball, he averaged a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds. He tossed in a couple of assists and a couple of steals for good measure just in case you wanted to question his greatness.

He is one of only four freshmen since 1992-93 to put up 750 points and 340 rebounds in a season. When freshman get to the NCAA tournament they tend to clam up a bit, right? Wrong. Melo averaged 20 points and 9+ rebounds per game, including a 33-point effort in the Final Four against Texas. He was named the tourney’s MOP and Jim Boeheim won his first championship.

Anthony was selected 3rd in the 2003 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets. He was a 10x All-Star and an All-NBA selection 6x as well as the 2013 scoring champion.

PF/C – Derrick Coleman (1986-1990)

D.C. One of the players of my youth who personified “Power Forward.” The 4x All-Big East selection was both Rookie and Player of the Year in the conference as well. He averaged a double-double for his career at roughly 15 and 11 and is the all-time leading rebounding in Big East history with 1,537 rips. That number also places him third in NCAA history. His 2,143 points put him 14th on the Big East all-time list and his 319 blocks place him ninth.

Quite simply, the man is one of the best to ever play college basketball.

D.C. was the first overall selection in the 1990 NBA draft by the New Jersey Nets. He would be joined by Kenny Anderson the following year, creating one of the most exciting young duos in the league. Coleman averaged 16.5 points and 9.3 rebounds over the course of his career. He retired in 2005.

Others considered: Billy Owens, Gerry McNamara, Etan Thomas, Sherman Douglas, Rony Seikaly, Hakim Warrick, Preston Shumpert, and Stephen Thompson.