In 2007, OrangeHoops inducted its charter class into the OrangeHoops Hall of Fame: Dave Bing, Derrick Coleman, Sherman Douglas, Vic Hanson, and Pearl Washington. The next several years saw the addition of Billy Owens (2008), Billy Gabor (2009), Lawrence Moten (2010), Louis Orr (2011), Roosevelt Bouie (2011) John Wallace (2012), Rony Seikaly (2013), Vinnie Cohen (2014), Etan Thomas (2015), Joe Schwarzer (2016), Lew Andreas (2017), Carmelo Anthony (2018), Stephen Thompson (2019), Hakim Warrick (2020), Gerry McNamara (2021), Rudy Hackett (2022). Rafael Addison (2023), and Jonny Flynn (2024) . So the list now stands at 23. Another year has passed, and now it is time for the 2025 inductee.
I established my rules for the OrangeHoops Hall of Fame back in 2007 and you can catch up on them here. 2024 does have two new eligible candidates (using the fifteen year rule): Wesley Johnson and Arinze Onuaku.
Wesley Johnson was an explosive leaper with a terrific perimeter
shot. He played only one season at Syracuse
after transferring from Iowa State, but his presence had a terrific impact on
the team. He scored 16.5 ppg, with 8.5
rebounds and made 41.5% of his threes, guiding the Orange to a 30-5
record. Johnson was named Big East
Player of the Year, and AP All American.
Arinze Onuaku was a strong solid center with an exceptional
ability to score down low, making nearly 65% of his field goal attempts, an SU
record. Defensively he was outstanding at keeping opponents out of the
lane. He was also the worst free throw
shooter in Syracuse history at 39.5%.
Johnson would crack my list of top 10 candidates.
I think this year’s viable top 10 candidates come down to the following, listed chronologically: Lew Castle, Dennis DuVal, Jimmy Lee, Danny Schayes, Leo Rautins, Dave Johnson, Jason Hart, Preston Shumpert, Eric Devendorf, and Jonny Flynn.
Castle was a two time All-American at Syracuse, and was captain and leading scorer of Syracuse’s only undefeated team, the 1913-1914 squad that went 12-0.
Eric Devendorf was a fiery trash talking guard who could aggressively take the ball to the hoop or pull up for a three pointer. Devo was a four year starter who ended up with 1,680 career points.
DuVal was a flashy point guard for Syracuse in the early 70s. When he graduated from Syracuse he was only second to Dave Bing in career points scored. He was a three year started and averaged 18.6 ppg. DuVal was a third team All-American his senior year
Lee was a clutch shooter with terrific perimeter range, and outstanding free throw shooting ability. He was able to use his shooting ability to set himself up as a solid passer. Lee's 18 foot jumper with five seconds remaining led the Orangemen to beat heavily favored North Carolina, as the Orangemen eventually moved on to their first NCAA Final Four. Lee would end up making the All-Tournament team for his outstanding performances.
Schayes was a skilled center with a good shooting touch, and solid overall basketball skills. He unfortunately sat behind the legendary Roosevelt Bouie his first three seasons, but he led the Orange his senior year in scoring and rebounding, earning an All Big East First Team selection.
Rautins was a terrific ball-handling forward with a nice shooting touch, solid rebounding and scoring skills. He is most well-known for his game winning tip in basket to win the Big East Championship in triple overtime against Villanova in 1981. Rautins also recorded two triple-doubles in Big East action.
Johnson was a 6'5" swingman during the heights of Syracuse's program. He was a defensive replacement his freshman and sophomore year, and would development into one of the Orange's primary offensive threats his junior and senior year. Johnson would earn All Big East First Team his senior year.
Hart was a speedy defensive point guard, and a four year starter. He was a decent ball handler, and finished his career as the number two assist man all time at Syracuse. He was much better on the defensive end, and would finish as SU's all-time leader in steals. Hart would have a 9 year career in the NBA, mostly as a backup guard.
Shumpert was one of the best three point shooters in Syracuse history, with terrific range. He was a streaky shooter and carried the Orangemen to many victories, seven times in his career scoring 30+ points in a game. He would be named to the Big East First Team both his junior and senior seasons, averaging 20.7 points per game his senior year. He was not a strong defensive player, and there were questions about his temperament, particularly related to issues with DeShaun Williams. Shumpert is currently the 8th all time leading scorer at SU.
All are worthy players, and tough selections to make. I designed my selection rules to make it tough; the Hall of Fame should be the 'best of the best', and I would rather have a line of worthy players outside the Hall of Fame, than cheapen it by having lessor players included.
Ten very good candidates. The 2025 inductee is Wesley Johnson.
The 2009-2010 Orangemen were an outstanding team and Johnson was a key component. Explosive to the hoop with a terrific perimeter shot, he was difficult to guard and highly productive for the Orange. He led the team in scoring and rebounding, and made 41.5% of his threes. The Orange had their 'Shut it down' defense, and Johnson was very adept at providing weak side defensive help.
He would score 31 points against Gonzaga in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament.
Johnson was name the Big East Player of the Year, All Big East First Team, and AP All America First Team. He was the 4th overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft, and would have 9 solid seasons in the NBA. He would score 4,235 points averaging 7.0 a game.
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