The best players to wear every jersey number in Syracuse basketball history

A number is more than a combination of digits on a players back. A number becomes a symbol, etched into the players identity and legacy. The jerseys of 15 Syracuse players hang from the Carrier Dome rafters, for 20,000-plus fans to see every home game.

A number is more than a combination of digits on a player’s back. A number becomes a symbol, etched into the player’s identity and legacy. The jerseys of 15 Syracuse players hang from the Carrier Dome rafters, for 20,000-plus fans to see every home game.

This week we dug through rosters to find the best Syracuse player to wear each jersey number. As you’ll see, there were some difficult choices, with 70 NBA draft selections, a few Hall of Famers and many All-Americans to choose from. The result is this account of the best players in the history of one of college basketball’s most storied programs.

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00: Rick Jackson (2007-11)

Jackson averaged 13.1 points and 10.3 rebounds as a senior. He was recognized as the Big East Defensive Player of the Year and was named to the All-Big East second team. He would earn AP honorable mention status as a starter on the 2010-11 team.

0: Michael Gbinije (2013-16)

Gbinije, or Silent G, is the only Orange player to don zero. He was pretty good, though. He spearheaded the 2016 Final Four team running point guard, averaging 17.5 points and 4.3 assists. The Duke transfer compiled two stellar seasons as a starter in the backcourt.

1: Hakim Warrick (2001-05)

Warrick is most known for “The Block,” a sensational defensive play in the final moments of the 2003 title game. But don’t let that overshadow everything else he did over a four-year career, including first-team All-America honors. As a senior he averaged 21.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Michael Carter-Williams (also No. 1) thrived in 2013 and became the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2014.

Honorable mention
Michael Carter-Williams, Andy Rautins

3: Gerry McNamara (2002-06)

Unquestionably, McNamara earns the nod. His No. 3 jersey most likely will be hung in the rafters at some point, thanks to his six 3-pointers in the 2003 national title game and the other dozen reasons he became one of the most beloved SU players of all time.

Honorable mention
Preston Shumpert, Dion Waiters, Jerami Grant

4: Rony Seikaly (1984-88)

Seikaly was one of the most dominating centers in program history, averaging nearly a double-double over his career. The No. 9 pick in the 1988 NBA Draft, he played a decade in the NBA. In 1990, he was the NBA’s most improved player. His No. 4 hangs from the Carrier Dome rafters.

Honorable mention
Demetris Nichols, Otis Hill, Wes Johnson

5: C.J. Fair (2010-14)

Fair to say Fair? He was a member of the All-ACC first team during his senior year, when the Orange began the year 25-0, the best start in program history. He averaged 16.5 points per game that season.

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Honorable mention
Donte Greene, Josh Pace, Jason Hart

8: Vic Hanson (1924-27)

Hanson was a star before pretty much every current Syracuse fan was born. He led the 1925-26 Orange squad to a 19-1 record. That team was crowned national champions by the Helms Foundation, and Hanson was a three-time All-American. He also played football and baseball at SU and has been inducted in both the College Football Hall of Fame and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was drafted by the New York Yankees too.

10: Jonny Flynn (2007-09)

Flynn was electric with the ball. A two-year starter at point guard, he averaged 17.4 points and 6.7 assists per game as a sophomore. He was the sixth pick in the 2009 NBA Draft and played three seasons in the NBA.

Honorable mention
Trevor Cooney, Jimmy Lee

11: Greg Monroe (1983-87)

Monroe started in the backcourt, averaging 12.9 points and 4.1 assists in 31 minutes on Syracuse’s 1986-87 team, which came within four seconds of a national title. Many former Syracuse players believe that was the most talented team in program history, loaded with future NBA skill in Seikaly, Derrick Coleman and Sherman Douglas. Monroe was a co-captain on that team.

Honorable mention
Tyler Ennis, Leo Rautins, Scoop Jardine, Paul Harris, Adrian Autry

12: Rafael Addison (1982-86)

Addison worked in tandem with Dwayne “Pearl” Washington in the mid-1980s. He was an outstanding shooter who went for 18.4 points per game as a junior and 15.0 as a senior. He played a decade as an NBA journeyman.

13: Kueth Duany (1998-2003)

Duany was a versatile swingman on the 2003 title team, starting all 35 games while averaging 11.0 points per game. The native of Sudan was a two-year starter.

14: Billy Edelin (2002-05)

Edelin appeared in 23 games as a freshman on the national title team after a suspension early in the season. The highly recruited point guard had good size and ballhandling ability. He averaged 13.8 points and 5.2 assists per game as a sophomore.

No one wore 15 better at Syracuse than Anthony. (Mitchell Layton / Getty Images)

15: Carmelo Anthony (2002-03)

Arguably the best player in program history, Melo made for an easy choice. Before his stellar NBA career, he became the first freshman to lead a title team in scoring.

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17: Billy Gabor (1942-48)

Gabar once held the school record for most points in a game (36) and a career (1,344). He starred while the program was still regional. He missed two years while serving in the U.S. Air Force during World War II. Then he returned to a 1946 team that won 20 games.

19: Wilmeth Sidat-Singh (1936-39)

Sidat-Singth played basketball and football at Syracuse following the Great Depression, and he was one of the first black athletes to play at Syracuse. He was a big reason why the 1938-39 team finished 15-4. He was quick on both ends of the floor and led the Orange in scoring as a senior. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery after he died while serving for the U.S. Army.

20: Sherman Douglas (1985-89)

Douglas owns the school record for career assists. His 22 assists against Providence remains the NCAA record for a game. He finished sixth in career points and third in steals. He started on the 1987 team that made the title game and spent 12 seasons in the NBA on five teams.

Honorable mention
Brandon Triche

21: Lawrence Moten (1991-95)

Until Marquette’s Markus Howard came along, Moten held the Big East all-time scoring crown for 25 years. As a four-year starter, Moten averaged at least 17.9 points per game each season.

22: Dave Bing (1963-66)

People around Syracuse knew Bing was special in his freshman year, even when he couldn’t play varsity. Many times, more fans attended his freshman games than the varsity games. Bing, a Hall of Famer, is a seven-time NBA All-Star with the Detroit Pistons and arguably the greatest player to play for SU.

Honorable mention
Dennis DuVal

23: Eric Devendorf (2005-09)

A spirited guard and four-year starter, Devendorf averaged 14.5 points per game over his career. He shot 37.8 percent from deep. He brought intensity, fire and assertiveness.

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24: Donovan McNabb, Ernie Davis

McNabb and Davis are among the best Syracuse football players of all time, with McNabb a star quarterback in the 1990s and Davis the 1961 Heisman Trophy winner. But they share another distinction: Each wore No. 24 during brief stints on the basketball team.

Battle led Syracuse to a Sweet 16. (Rich Barnes / Getty Images)

25: Tyus Battle (2016-19)

The scoring guard helped lead the Orange to the Sweet 16 in 2018, a season in which he would average 19.2 points per game. Battle was named All-ACC second team after his sophomore season and the All-ACC third team as a junior.

Honorable mention
Rakeem Christmas

30: Billy Owens (1988-91)

Owens’ number was retired by Syracuse in 2008. The 10-year NBA veteran averaged 23.2 points and 11.6 rebounds per game in the 1990-91 season. He had the size, strength and ballhandling abilities to be a star.

Honorable mention
Jim Brown

31: Pearl Washington (1983-86)

Washington was one of the most electrifying players in program history, thrilling large Carrier Dome crowds with his playground style and knack to take over the offense. He averaged 15.7 points and 6.7 assists per game as a three-year starter. The 13th pick in the 1986 draft was “the most exciting player I’ve ever seen,” coach Jim Boeheim once said.

32: Steven Thompson (1986-90)

Thompson was an explosive leaper and a high-scoring forward and guard, a key part of Syracuse’s dominating teams of the late ’80s.

Honorable mention
Kris Joseph, Ryan Blackwell, Marty Byrnes

33: Etan Thomas (1996-2000)

Thomas, now an author and social activist, was a dominating center, with outstanding hands and shot-blocking ability.

Honorable mention
Dale Shackleford, Mike Hopkins, Greg Kohls, Terrence Roberts

34: Jeremy McNeil (1999-2004)

McNeil didn’t do much scoring, but his value came on the defensive end —a tremendous rim protector along the 2-3 zone’s backline.

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35: Jim Boeheim (1963-66)

Boeheim walked on to the team in 1962, made varsity in 1963 and has hardly left campus since. Before he became a Hall of Fame coach, he averaged 14.6 points per game as a senior while playing in the backcourt alongside Bing. Perhaps Boeheim’s son Buddy will surpass his dad as the best Orange player to wear No. 35.

40: Erich Santifer (1979-83)

Santifer finished his career as the No. 2 all-time scorer at Syracuse, second to Bing. Several players have since passed him, but he started three years as Syracuse was evolving from a regional to national power.

43: James Southerland (2009-13)

Off the bench, Southerland hit nearly 40 percent of his 3-point attempts. The forward averaged 13.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game as a senior.

44: Derrick Coleman (1986-90)

A three-time All-Big East honoree, DC was one of the greatest all-around players at Syracuse. He averaged a double-double as a sophomore, junior and senior, led the Orange to the 1987 title game and then spent 15 years in the NBA.

Honorable mention
John Wallace, Jim Brown, Danny Schayes

50: Roosevelt Bouie (1976-80)

One of Jim Boeheim’s first recruits, Bouie was a dominant, four-year starter at center. He and Louis Orr formed the “Bouie ‘N Louie” show at SU, which went 100-18 in their four years.

51: Fab Melo (2010-12)

Melo didn’t learn to play basketball until he was 15, but he became a McDonald’s All-American and the starting center at Syracuse by his sophomore year. He scored and rebounded a little and blocked shots, while showing signs of development later in his career. The Boston Celtics drafted him in the first round of the 2012 draft. He died in 2017.

Honorable mention
Craig Forth

53: Andre Hawkins (1981-85)

The four-year starter at center became a solid player for the Orange in the early years of the Big East. He averaged a career-high 10.5 points per game his junior year.

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55: Louis Orr (1976-80)

Orr, a long forward from Cincinnati, was Boeheim’s first recruit. He was an All-Big East honoree as a senior and played through the ’80s with the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks. He served as an SU assistant in the 1990s and now holds the same position at Georgetown.

Honorable mention
Chuck Richards

(Top photo of Gerry McNamara: Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)

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