Best Syracuse player ever

[OttoMets]

1. Bing
2. Owens
3. Melo
4. DC
5. Douglas

It is a close call for me between Coleman and Billy Owens for the best player of the past 30 years but I have to give it to Billy. Owens was a tremendous scorer, rebounder and passer. Much better scorer than Derrick. Derrick was better at blocking shots, Billy was better at getting steals, Derrick was the better rebounder, Billy was the better passer. I think Billy is really underrated by the SU basketball community. Maybe the early loss in the NCAA tournament his junior year kind of soiled his reputation.

Billy did have great numbers and greater talent, but it's not just Villanova and Richmond - I think his reputation was that of a low-effort guy in workouts and in certain games.

(I don't know that this comes into play for others judging Owens, but he didn't help himself with his rationale for leaving school early. While everyone else's motivation for declaring for the draft was something along the lines of "my stock is high; it's time to jump," Billy came out and said that he left because he didn't think our 1992 team would be very good. That's cool - there'd be no Lawrence Moten as we know him if Billy had stayed - but it's not really a great way to endear himself to Syracuse fans.)

 

[sutomcat]

Hanson...hands down.

Vic Hanson was so quick that he could get out of bed, turn off the lights across the room and be back in bed before the room went dark.

 

[sutomcat]

Billy did have great numbers and greater talent, but it's not just Villanova and Richmond - I think his reputation was that of a low-effort guy in workouts and in certain games.

(I don't know that this comes into play for others judging Owens, but he didn't help himself with his rationale for leaving school early. While everyone else's motivation for declaring for the draft was something along the lines of "my stock is high; it's time to jump," Billy came out and said that he left because he didn't think our 1992 team would be very good. That's cool - there'd be no Lawrence Moten as we know him if Billy had stayed - but it's not really a great way to endear himself to Syracuse fans.)

I agree. The whole leaving early thing is something a lot of SU fans have a hard time with. I think Owens, Flynn and even Washington hurt their reputations and popularity to some degree leaving early. The only way to not take a hit on that front is to do it like Melo and leave early with a NC in hand.