Syracuse University, located in Syracuse, New York was established in 1870. Their athletics mascot is Otto the Orange. They are members of the NCAA Division I Big East Conference. Their first official basketball season was started 110 years ago. In more recent history, the Orangemen created an excellent reputation, being the fifth most winning men's Division I team of all time. Syracuse continues this legacy today by holding an active record of 39 consecutive winning seasons.
The Orangemen have been under the coaching expertise of Jim Boeheim for over 30 years. Throughout this time, the team has recorded 31 seasons with over 20 wins, including three appearances in the national title game, five Big East Tournament championships, seven Big East regular season championships and 25 NCAA Tournament appearances.
Syracuse coach Boeheim has also served as an assistant under Mike Krzyzewski for the US men's national basketball team at the FIBA World Championships in 1990 and 2006. He went on to assist again at the 2008 Summer Olympics, where the team took home the gold medal. Boeheim also serves as the Chairman of the USA Basketball 2009-12 Men's Junior National Committee, and was the 2007-08 President of the NABC. He is currently on their Board of Directors.
Syracuse has helped bring about a number of great players that have reached success in the NBA. Some notable Orangemen alumni are Carmelo Anthony, Hakim Warrick, and Gerry McNamara. Carmelo Anthony played for Syracuse in 2002-2003 where he was named Freshman of the Year for the Big East Conference and was then chosen as the third pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. He is a small forward and now plays in the NBA for the Denver Nuggets. Hakim Warrick played throughout college as an Orangeman from 2001-2005.
Warrick is a power forward that contributed greatly to the 2003 National Championship victory when he blocked a 3-pointer that could have tied the game. He was chosen 19th in the 2005 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies and he now plays for the Milwaukee Bucks. Gerry McNamara is a guard that played with the team from 2002-2006 and then went on to play in Greece for both Panionios BC and Olympiacos BC. He was waived by the NBA Development League's Reno Bighorns, and returned to his alma mater Syracuse to attend graduate school in 2009. He is currently an assistant on the men's basketball team.
