The greatest players in Syracuse basketball history

We're going back to the early days of Syracuse basketball. Castle was the school's first two-time All-American. According to Syracuse basketball lore, Castle totaled 155 points — for an average of 12.9 — during the school's 12-0 season of 1913-14. The casual fan of Syracuse basketball likely has never heard of Castle, but at the time, there weren't many in the game better than he was. Castle helped lay the early foundation for one of the most storied programs in college hoops history.

One of the most versatile athletes in the history of college sports, Hanson has the distinction of being the only athlete to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. He was a three-time All-American who averaged roughly 14 points per contest during his three seasons playing basketball at Syracuse. Hanson helped the program win a national title in 1926, as recognized by the Helms Athletic Foundation, which chose the national champion at the time.

Amid his time starring on the basketball court at Syracuse, Gabor was a member of the United States Army. When he returned from his service duties, Gabor led the Orange varsity team in scoring three consecutive years — highlighted by averaging 16.3 points during the 1946-47 campaign. Gabor was the first player to score 1,000 points in his Syracuse career.

Bing, a former college roommate of legendary Orange coach Jim Boeheim, was a consensus first-team All-American in 1965-66, when he averaged a school-record 28.4 points and 10.8 rebounds. Bing ranks within the top 10 among career Syracuse scorers with 1,883 points, and his 24.8 average points per game is the highest in school history. He's also Syracuse's all-time leader in consecutive double-figure games (66) and scored more than 40 points on three occasions. Bing averaged 10.3 rebounds for his collegiate career.

DuVal spent three seasons on the Syracuse varsity team and certainly left his mark during that span. His 1,504 career points rank among the most in school history and good for a 18.6 all-time scoring average. DuVal also shot 45.1 percent and had a knack for distributing the basketball with 295 career assists. He earned third-team All-American honors from The Associated Press during the 1973-74 season.

One half of Syracuse's famed "Louie and Bouie Show," the 6-foot-11 Bouie totaled 1,560 points and 987 rebounds during his four seasons under Jim Boeheim at Syracuse. His 59.3 career field-goal percentage ranks among the top five in school history. Bouie was a first-team All-Big East selection in 1979-80, when also tabbed a third-team All-American by the United Press International.

Now to the other portion of the "Louie and Bouie Show." Like his buddy Roosevelt Bouie, Orr was a first-team All-Big East pick in 1979-80, when he averaged career highs of 16 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. For his career, Orr totaled 1,487 points while shooting 55.5 percent from the field. He also pulled down 881 rebounds and dished out 257 assists to solidify himself one of the most versatile players in Syracuse history.

A playground legend from Brooklyn, "Pearl" might be the most prized recruit in the history of Syracuse basketball. Washington was a first-team All-Big East selection each of his three seasons with the Orange, averaging 15.7 points on 52.6-percent shooting and 6.7 assists. His 637 career assists rank fourth among all Syracuse players. When it comes to popularity among all Syracuse athletes, "Pearl," who succumbed to cancer in 2016, might be at the top of the list.

We'll begin a stretch of three players that helped Syracuse reach the NCAA Tournament national championship game for the first time in 1987. Seikaly was a junior on that squad and totaled 18 points and 10 rebounds during the heartbreaking 74-73 loss to Indiana in the title game. He was a force throughout his four-year career with the Orange. The three-time first-team All-Big East pick totaled 1,716 points, 1,094 rebounds (ranked second in school history), and 319 blocked shots (ranked fourth).

Douglas was the catalyst of that 1986-87 group. He averaged 17.3 points and 7.6 assists while only a sophomore. Another three-time first-team All-Big East performer, Douglas set an NCAA record with 960 career assists, and his seven assists per game average ranks No. 1 in school history. Douglas, who averaged career highs of 18.2 points and 8.6 assists in 1988-89 as a consensus second-team All-American, ranks among Syracuse's top-10 scorers with 2,060 points and sits third with 797 made field goals.

A freshman on Syracuse's '87 national runner-up squad, Coleman came off the bench that season. He still pulled down 19 rebounds in the title game. Things would only get better from there for Coleman, the Orange's second-leading career scorer with 2,143 points and the school's all-time leading rebounder with 1,537. Coleman, the Big East Player of the Year and consensus first-team All-American when he averaged 17.9 points and 12.1 boards in 1989-90, also ranks among Syracuse's top 10 in career games played (143), starts (140), and minutes (4,688).

A highly acclaimed prep prospect coming out of Pennsylvania, Owens certainly lived up to the hype during his four seasons at Syracuse. The 6-foot-9 Owens totaled 1,840 points and 910 rebounds. As a senior in 1990-91, Owens averaged 23.3 points — fourth-highest for a single season at Syracuse — with 11.6 rebounds to earn Big East Player of the Year honors and become a consensus first-team All-American.

Nobody has scored more points for the Orange than Moten with 2,334 across his four Syracuse seasons. He's the only player in the history of the program to post four consecutive seasons of at least 500 points, and his 19.3 career scoring average ranks fifth at the school. Moten is also Syracuse's all-time leader in made field goals (838) and attempted field goals (1,736). He was a three-time first-team All-Big East selection and a third-team All-American pick by the AP.

Another big-time scorer at Syracuse, Wallace scored 2,119 points — third-highest in the history of the school. His 845 points from the 1995-96 campaign, when the Orange lost to Kentucky in the national championship game, are the most for a single season by any Syracuse player. Wallace, who ranks among the school's top five in career made field goals (784) and made free throws (510), was also a beast on the boards with his 1,065 rebounds. For his career, the two-time first-team All-Big East selection averaged 16.7 points, 8.4 assists, and 2.0 assists.

Hart might not have had the prolific career as others on this list, but his importance to the program can't be denied. A first-team All-Big East selection in 1999-2000, Hart averaged 11.4 points for his career, but he's Syracuse's all-time leader with 329 steals and ranks second with 709 assists. Hart's 2.5 assists per game are also No. 1 among all Orange players, while his 5.4 average assists rank fourth. His 4,491 minutes played are third-most in school history.

Anthony's only season at Syracuse resulted in the school's lone NCAA national championship and was a springboard for a long and successful professional basketball career. Thus, it can honestly be argued that Anthony's freshman season is the greatest in school history. He averaged 22.2 points (second in school history), shot 45.3 percent from the field, pulled down 11.0 rebounds per game, and dished out 2.2 assists. However, it was his performance in the NCAA Tournament that made him a legendary college figure. During the regional final, national semifinal, and title game, Anthony averaged 24.3 points, shot 54.9 percent from the field, went 7-of-13 from 3-point range, and pulled down 34 rebounds to earn Most Outstanding Player honors.

Part of the Orange's 2003 national championship squad, Warrick averaged 14.8 points and 8.5 rebounds while starting all 35 games as a sophomore during that magical season. When Warrick's four-year Syracuse ended, he recorded 2,073 points (ranked fifth in school history) and 1,025 rebounds (ranked fourth). As a senior, Warrick averaged career highs of 21.4 points and 8.6 boards to earn Big East Player of the Year honors and solidify his spot as a first-team All-American. 

The confidence and passion McNamara played with made him one of the most popular players in Syracuse history. He ranks fourth in school history with 2,099 career points and is the Orange's all-time leader in made 3-pointers (400), free-throw percentage (88.7), and minutes played (4,799). McNamara, who averaged 15.5 points at Syracuse and 13.3 as a freshman on the 2003 national title squad, also ranks second in career steals (258) and third in assists (648). He also started all 135 college games he played.

Johnson is one of the more intriguing members of this list. He played his first two seasons at Iowa State before transferring to Syracuse. He had to sit out his junior campaign, but when Johnson made it on the court for his one season with the Orange, it was truly memorable. He averaged 16.5 points on 50.2 percent shooting from the field and 41.5 percent from 3-point range, with 8.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1.7 steals. He earned Big East Player of the Year honors and was named a first-team All-American by the AP.

Only Brandon Triche and Stephen Thompson have played more basketball games at Syracuse than Fair's 143. After serving as a key bench performer his first two seasons with the Orange, Fair started all 74 games he played as a junior and senior and ranks fourth in school history with 4,251 career minutes. He closed out his career with 1,660 points and 818 rebounds. Fair averaged a career-high 16.5 points for the 2013-14 season, when he was tabbed a consensus second-team All-American.