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 ten 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), and Gerry McNamara (2021). So the list now stands at 20. Another year has passed, and now it is time for the 2022 inductee.
I established my rules for the OrangeHoops Hall of Fame back in 2007 and you can catch up on them here. 2021 does have seven new eligible candidates (using the fifteen year rule): Todd Burach, Ross DiLiegro, Matt Gorman, Mike Jones, Demetris Nichols, Terrence Roberts, Darryl Watkins
Todd Burach was a three year walk-on for the Orange. He played guard and scored 9 points in three seasons.
Ross DILiegro was a four year walk-on for the Orange. He played forward for four seasons and scored 2 points in eleven games.
Matt Gorman was a reserve forward for four seasons. He did play in most of the games as a junior and senior, and started five games his senior year. He hit 46% of this three point shots his senior year on a limited 26 shots.
Mike Jones was a forward on the Orange for one season. He transferred after his first semester having scored 21 points in 11 games.
Demetris Nichols was a smooth shooting forward who became quite prolific at three point shooting. Nichols was an occasional starter/key reserve his first two seasons. He moved permanently into the starting lineup his junior year and was one of the top shooters in the Big East. Nichols would have a terrific senior year hitting 100 of 240 three point shots (41.7%), on his way to 18.9 ppg. He would earn a berth on the All Big East First Team, and have two games with 30+ points, including a career high 37 against St. John's. He finished his career with 1,344 points, currently 36th all time.
Terrence Roberts was a solid forward who excelled at rebounding and defense. He never developed into a strong scorer, but he was adept at running the court. He would average 8.1 rebounds per game his senior year. Like many big men at Syracuse he struggled at the free throw line making only 48% of his shots. He finished his career with 716 rebounds, currently 24th all time at Syracuse.
Darryl 'Mookie' Watkins was a terrific shot blocking center, though he was prone to foul trouble throughout his career. Watkins excelled on the defensive end of the court, but never developed a strong offensive game, peaking at 8.1 ppg his senior year. He did finish his career with 263 blocked shots, currently 5th all-time at Syracuse.
None of those players 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, Jon Cincebox, Dennis DuVal, Jimmy Lee, Rudy Hackett, Danny Schayes, Leo Rautins, Rafael Addison, Jason Hart, and Preston Shumpert.
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.
Cincebox was on the best rebounders in Syracuse history (in an era when rebounding numbers were admittedly high). He helped Syracuse to the NCAA Elite Eight in 1956-1957, as the dominant big man for the Orangemen.
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.
Hackett was a powerful forward who could run the court well. He was a great rebounder and terrific scorer near the hoop. He led the Orangemen in scoring his senior year and helped lead Syracuse to its first Final Four in 1975.
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.
Addison was a gangly small forward who earned a reputation for being one of the most underrated players in the country. He possessed an excellent mid range jump shot, was decent passing the ball, and was a solid free throw shooter. He led the team in scoring his sophomore and junior seasons. He moved to shooting guard his senior year, and his 6’7” height helped with the mismatches. Unfortunately a leg injury impacted his effectiveness the second half of the season.
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, and a couple of those players are among my all-time personal favorites. The 2022 inductee is Rudy Hackett.
Hackett averaged 22.2 ppg and 12.7 rebounds per game his senior year to help lead the Orangemen to their first Final Four as a Cinderella underdog. He and Jimmy Lee were the Orangemen's one-two punch during their improbable run in the NCAA tournament.
Hackett earned 2nd team All American recognition his senior year. At the time his finished his career he was 2nd all-time in rebounding, having led the team all three seasons he was on the varsity, and 2nd all-time in scoring. Hackett is currently 7th in rebounding all time at Syracuse, and 25th in scoring.
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