12) CARMELO ANTHONY

12. Carmelo Anthony: Syracuse – (2003) Baltimore, MD

One year: 22.2 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.6 spg, 33.7% 3FG, 70.6% FT

Rookie of the Year (2003)

Second Team Consensus All-American (2003)

NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player (2003)

One of the obstacles we faced when deciding to do this list was how do you compare a one year player like Anthony with the excellent three and four year careers of other Big East greats? Well, Anthony was the only one year player on the list and his track record speaks for itself.

In that one year, Anthony averaged 22.2 ppg and 10.0 rpg and set a Big East record with a freshman scoring average in conference play with 21.4 ppg. His 161 rebounds as a freshman are also a conference record, and his 22 double doubles is the best ever for a freshman in NCAA history.

But even though his numbers were superb, what really solidified Anthony as an all-time great was how he led the Orange to the 2003 National Championship. Named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, the freshman averaged 20.2 ppg and 9.8 rpg in the six game run, and even more amazing for a freshman, his Final Four totals were 26.5 ppg and 12.0 rpg. If he had stayed, the 6’8” forward had a great shot at being in the top two or three players in Big East history.

But feeling that he had already done it all in college, Anthony went to the NBA, where he was taken by the Denver Nuggets with the third overall pick. Through five seasons with the Nuggets, Anthony won the Rookie of the Year Award over Lebron James, has played in two all-star games, and is averaging 24.4 ppg.

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