All time favorite player team | Page 2 | Syracusefan.com

All time favorite player team

PG - Douglas - I suppose this one is obvious from my name, not very many basketball players in history were more fun to watch than him. The guys was a winner, and a showman.

Honorable Mention - Scoop Jardine - Like Douglas he was a winner (which is just what a point guard should be) and he tends to be underrated by fans. He lead SU to two #1 seeds, but people remember him for that middle year when he was asked (because the team needed it) to shoulder more of the offensive burden than he was capable.

SG - Rautins - Every time he touched the ball he made a basketball move (its amazing how rare this is) he never just made a pass, he always made a move to put a defender in a weakened spot, then made the pass.

Honorable Mention - Jason Cipolla - For whatever reason I just liked him. Kind of a poor man's Rautins, he came out of nowhere (juco) to man the top of the zone (the first 100% zone team SU ever had), played great D, and hit some really big shots to help SU get to a final 4.

SF - Hopkins - He was the type of guy you knew from the very beginning would end up as a coach (those are my favorite kind of guys). There have only been three players who I ever really wanted to come back and coach, they are all on this list. Hopkins is one, Rautins and Jardine are the other two. For the record Hop was more of a guard than a forward but he actually played a lot of forward (this was before Syracuse played zone full time and went with exclusively tall forwards).

Honorable Mention - CJ Fair - I saw him in high school and was a big fan of his, honestly from what I saw there, I thought his mid range game would be even better than it has been, but I did not guess that he would always be in the right place at the right time.

PF - Owens - Arguably the only SU basketball player ever who had elite talent mixed with an elite basketball IQ. He has become (surprisingly to me) maybe Syracuse's most under-rated player because of the first round loss to Richmond, but he had something like 22 and 8 in that game. It was the rest of the team that choked, not him.

Honorable Mention - John Wallace - Among the most important SU players ever. A local blue chipper (from Rochester) came to SU despite the probation and just about singlehandedly kept Syracuse on top of the basketball world. His senior year was in my opinion the best single season any player has ever had under Boeheim.

C - Thomas - Hard working, hard working, hard working. The thing that made me really like him though is his personality, he's an intellectual. Being a short italian, I tend to relate to guards more often than big guys, but Etan is one big who I took an immediate liking to.

Honorable Mention - Arinze Onuaku - We are doing this by position so he only gets honorable mention, but he would make my top 5 favorite Orange of all time along with Sherm, Etan, Rautins, and Billy. He was so skilled with both hands, that he was basically unstoppable in the post. How can you not love that? Its the guys that have trouble finishing that drive you crazy.
 
PG - Billy Edelin, so smooth.
G - Billy Owens
C - Derrick Coleman, the ultimate bad m*****r ****r.
PF - John Wallace
= Hakin Warrick - That dunk against ND....amazing.

Yeah, I'm going with a crazy roster of all forwards and Billy E. Conroad McRae is first off the bench - maybe at PG. All rules are being thrown out the window.
 
PG - Pearl was a wonder to behold. He had the magic. Sherm was arguably a better all around guard, but Pearl was special.

SG - Kid Kohls. The best shooting guard at SU I have ever seen. Had ice water in his veins and was money.

PF - DC was a manchild on the court. The most ferocious rebounder in Orange.

SF - NO contest for me. Melo all the way. He exhibited a pure joy in playing the game and was pretty good at it too!

C - So many to choose from, but I will go with Rony. He was such a project in his early years, that if this board exitsed then he would have been roasted alive. After many sessions on the bench with JB yaking in his ear after an eggregious play and much hard work he turned himself into one of the best centers we have had. Rosey had more natural talent but Rony's work ethic made him my favroite.
 
None of us have MCW on their lists. He only really had one relevant year, but the kid was legit. So many greats over the years.

MCW was one of my favorite PG's to play here, just so many other fan favorites to play here. If he plays one more year I bet he makes it on a couple of lists.
 
I'm going to go showtime:

Pearl
Stevie
Greg Kohls
Billy Owens
DC

Very surprised I didn't see Bing on anyone's list.
 
Scott McCorkle

Dave Siok

Eric Rogers

Sean Williams

Sonny Spera

Just kidding.


There to many greats. I'm not even gonna try.
But some of the guys that were the most fun to root for were the two sport walk-ons...

McNabb
Tuten
Gaines
Williams
Lockwood
 
No order but all my favorites:
Josh Pace (favorite)
Dave Johnson
Kristof Ongenaet
Conrad McRae
Andy Rautins

Favorite Walkons because they made the team better and were great to fans;
Ronneil Herron
Tyrone Albright
Elimu Nelson
 
Sherm
Andy
Stevie
DC
Arinze

as I look at it, I guess its not surprising that I think the 88-89 and 09-10 teams are the best SU has ever fielded
 
Ok I am late to this so I am sure the easy ones have been taken. This is my list. I don't care what you think

C - Jeremy McNeil
PF - Damone Brown
SF - Luke Jackson
SG - everyone not named DeSean Williams
PG - Allen Griffin

Elimu Nelson had the best hair.

McNabb had the best walk-on performance against GT and I still to this day wish I could see a replay of his IN DA FACE block off 6'9" fat-ass Jaheidi White.
 
I am not going to post a list, because, like others, it is too hard. I love so many players. But Rick Jackson would be on my list no doubt, just for that one locker room interview where someone (Southerland?) passed gas, and then Rick's reaction. If anyone has the link, please post it, it is hilarious.
 
PG Flynn
SG Waiters
SF Wes Johnson
PF Rick Jackson
C Arinze Onuaku

6th man - Andy Rautin

Honorbale Mentions -Fair
Warrick

I'm younger. obviously.
 
Yeah, man. All we have is youtube. I was probably 12 or so years old when he was banging. But I never forget buying that Street and Smiths mag when I saw him on the cover.
In the BLUE uni, if I recall...
 
Dale Shackleford
Louis Orr
Erich Santifer
Pearl
Raf
DC
Red Autry
Moten
Allen Griffin
Hak
Melo
Gmac
...oh forget it, this list could go on for days...
 
PG - Sherman Douglas - My first favorite player. I became a fan right after Pearl left.
SG - Stevie Thompson - My favorite finisher on the fast break all time at SU (and made slam magazines list of all time great dunkers). I remember when he took it straight at Mutombo, jumped up, and lofted this perfect baby hook over his orangutan like arms for a bucket. I don't know if I've ever seen a 6'2" guy do that to a 7'2" guy before or since.
SF - Melo - Had a hard time picking him over Billy Owens, but his one year was so dominant and gave us our NC.
PF - John Wallace - Had a hard time picking him over DC, but that improbably run to the FF after finishing fourth in a loaded Big East was magical.
C - Otis Hill - Loved watching him become a polished undersized post scorer with a great up and under and baby hook.
 
Guards -- GMac and Duany.
Forwards -- Melo and Warrick.
Center -- Forth.

Loved those guys... and still do.

Did we do something this year?
 
Waiters --> Loved watching this guy take over games.
Warrick --> I still find myself watching him cram on kids via hour long youtube sessions.
Devo --> Finished with the best of them.
Onuaku --> Incredibly skilled big man who was one of our more consistent players ever.
Pace --> Guy did it all. Very underrated.

Others: Nichols, Ongenaet, Carmelo, G-Mac, Edelin.
 

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