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), and Rudy Hackett (2022). So the list now stands at 21. Another year has passed, and now it is time for the 2023 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 five new eligible candidates (using the fifteen year rule): Devin Brennan-McBride, Ryan Cahak, Donte' Greene, Mike Williams, and Josh Wright.
Devin Brennan-McBride was a reserve center for the Orange for two seasons. A recurring injury from high school hampered him further in college, and he would play only six games his freshman year scoring 5 points. He would play no games his sophomore season before leaving school.
Ryan Cahak was a three year walk-on guard for the Orange. He did not play any games his first two season, and played four his third year. He did not score any points.
Donte' Greene was a highly touted freshman forward. He led the team in scoring his only season at Syracuse scoring 17.7 ppg. He was a good perimeter shooting power forward, but his tendency to play on the perimeter hurt the Orange's inside game. He was named to the All Big East 2nd Team and All Rookie Team. He was drafted in the 1st round of the NBA draft after his freshman year by the Memphis Grizzlies, with the 28th overall pick. They would trade him to Houston, who would trade him to Sacramento. Greene would play four seasons in the NBA scoring 1,541 points for an average of 6.1 ppg.
Mike Williams was a star wide receiver for the Syracuse football team, and would play as a reserve on the basketball team his sophomore year. He played in 4 games and scored 7 points. Williams faced off the field disciplinary issues that resulted in him being suspended his junior year from the football team. He would leave the football team midseason his senior year. For his Orange career he had 133 receptions in 29 games with 20 touchdowns. He was drafted 4th in the 2010 NFL draft, and was a starter his rookie year for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Williams would play in the NFL for five seasons, with 223 receptions and 26 touchdowns in 63 games.
Josh Wright was a point guard for the Orange for four seasons. Wright did not play much his first two years, but became the starting point guard his junior year. He struggled as the Orange point guard, and was replaced by Eric Devendorf by the end of the season. Wright would play only four games his senior year before leaving for personal reasons. He scored 392 points and had 217 assists in his Syracuse career.
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, Dave Johnson, 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 one of 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.
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.
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, and a couple of those players are among my all-time personal favorites. The 2023 inductee is Rafael Addison.
Addison was an unheralded freshman when he came to Syracuse but made an impact as a reserve his freshman year, working as the sixth man, and averaging 8.4 ppg. He earned recognition on the All Big East Rookie team.
He would lead the team in scoring and rebounding his sophomore year with 17.7 ppg and 6.0 rpg. He scored 31 points in a first round Big East Tournament win over UConn.
Addison was gaining a reputation as being one of the most underrated players in the country his junior season, again leading the Orange in scoring with 18.4 ppg. He would earn All Big East First Team recognition his junior year.
Addison had a good chance of breaking Dave Bing's school career scoring record his senior year. However, he injured his leg early in the winter, and it hampered his play for the rest of the season, sharply decreasing his effectiveness. He would end his career seven point short of Bing's record.
Addison was drafted in the 2nd round of the 1986 NBA draft. He would play one season in Phoenix, before playing in Italy for five years, where he shined. He came back to the NBA in 1991 and played five more seasons.
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