Ray Mernagh, Syracuse News

MOUNT SYRACUSE

by RAY MERNAGH

Mount Rushmore presented an attractive canvas for sculptor Gutzon Borglum to carve out four heroic faces on for two big reasons: It faced southeast, meaning it would get good light throughout the day, and the granite was so strong that it would erode only one inch every 10,000 years. The man who came up with the idea, historian Doane Robinson, believed celebrating these national heroes on such a grand scale would bring more visitors to the Black Hills of South Dakota. To this day, Black Hills National Forest, formerly the Harney National Forest Preserve, is a must stop for campers traveling anywhere in its vicinity because of the famous landmark with the four faces on it.

So that got the minds here at NBE thinking: Why don’t we pick the faces, over that school’s entire hoops history, that best represent each program within the Big East? It’s been my opinion for years that for any kind of hypothetical team — meaning one that covers different generations and eras — to have legitimacy, it should only include five players. But what if you not only had to pick the faces of a program, but like Mount Rushmore, you had to whittle it down to four?

After dismissing the idea in my mind for a few minutes (basketball = five players after all) I started to see the potential picking only four players held. That and I was already feeling the stress of trying to find three South Florida players besides Chucky Atkins suitable for the list! I kid I kid…kind of. But seriously, debates and responses could become heated as certain favorites get left off. We encourage interaction here so feel free to let off steam. Just include your name (location), keep it concise, keep my mother out of it, and maybe we’ll post all of them with answers back later in the week.

Send your impressions to: bigeastrushmore@gmail.com

Seeing how this is bound to be difficult, I decided to dive right in and start with arguably the most star-laden program over the years — especially in the ESPN era — Syracuse. So without further ado, I’m pleased to present the four faces that make up the Mount Rushmore of Syracuse hoops.

Dave Bing (’64. ’65, ’66): Bing is still the best player in Syracuse history 43 years after a senior year that saw the product of Washington D.C. average 28.4 points, grab 10.2 rebounds and dish out 6.6 assists a game. Bing’s numbers were similarly impressive his sophomore (22.8 and 8.0) and junior years (23.2 and 12.4). Freshmen were ineligible to play varsity ball during Bing’s playing days. Syracuse was an eight win team the year before Bing started his varsity career, but he turned that around quickly leading them to a 22-6 record his sophomore season. Bing is in the basketball Hall of Fame. He’s now the Mayor of Detroit. Bing opened a prosperous steel company, Bing Steel, in Motown in 1980. By staying in Detroit after retiring from the Pistons, building a successful business, and mentoring young people, Bing has established himself as maybe the one person capable of turning the city of Detroit around.

Sherman Douglas (’86, ’87. ’88. ’89): Played behind Pearl Washington — an electrifying point guard who was arguably the face of the Big East at the start of its TV life — in his freshman year. All Douglas did in his sophomore year as a starter, one that nobody saw coming from the lightly recruited guard out of Dave Bing’s high school in D.C., was lead the Orange to the NCAA Championship game vs Indiana. People might question Douglas over Washington based on the trio of hype, perception, and nostalgia, but they’d be wrong. When you look at the numbers/results, it would be a unanimous decision for Douglas if it was a boxing match. Washington was spectacular and it could still be argued the most important recruit in Syracuse basketball history. I know if I was a highly recruited baller at the time (I wasn’t, I was a 5’6 point guard playing Class C ball in Michigan) I’d have gone to Syracuse strictly off watching Pearl play in the raucous Carrier Dome every Monday night. So Washington was great, it just so happens that Douglas was even better. He was named All Big East 1st team three years straight, in other words, every year that he started. He scored 2,060 career points while handing out 960 assists. And nobody threw a better lob pass than the General! Went on to play more than 10 seasons in the NBA as a second round pick.

Derrick Coleman (’87, ’88, ’89, ’90): Coleman was a smooth lefty power forward with a guards offensive skill set and a knack for rebounding. I still remember almost crying when he missed the front end of a one and one vs Indiana in the title game his freshman year. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt worse for a player than I did for Coleman that night. He was the reason that Syracuse had a chance in that game as he just flat-out dominated the boards, giving his team second chance points and extra possessions all game long. He was absolutely killing Bob Knight’s Hoosiers, which made it even more enjoyable for me since he was so clearly not a Knight-type player (could you imagine DC in Bloomington? It would’ve made the Lawrence Funderburke era look like a love affair in comparison)! Coleman finished that night with 19 rebounds, yet his missed free throw allowed Keith Smart to stake a place in NCAA Tournament history. Another three time first team All Big East guy, Coleman made the third team his freshman year. Won Big East Player of the Year as a senior. Finished with 2,143 points and 1,537 rebounds.

Carmelo Anthony (’03): 22.2 points and 10 rebounds in his one year at Syracuse, a year that ended with him being named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA tournament and MVP of the East regional as Syracuse won the 2003 NCAA title — the first for the Orange in basketball. He’s proven since that year in college to be one of the top players in the NBA. When coaches take a sure one and done player, they do it with what Anthony did — led his team to a title — in mind. Enough said.

Thoughts? Let’s hear them at bigeastrushmore@gmail.com.