Time flies when you are having fun, or at least when you are watching the Syracuse Orange basketball team, which can sometimes be the opposite of fun.

Lots of players have come through central New York to play college basketball in the Carrier Dome.

KISS 104.1 logo
Enter your number to get our free mobile app

The big names we often think of are pretty easy to rattle off... Carmelo Anthony, Hakim Warrick, Gerry McNamara (Man, that 2003 national championship team was loaded!)

However there are a lot of players that we remember watching for two to three years, then forget about once they move on. Here's some big names with the Syracuse Orange that you probably haven't thought of in a while:

  • Getty Images
    Getty Images
    loading...
    1

    Tyus Battle

    This is probably the most recent one, with Battle's last season with Cuse being, well, last year.

    However since leaving CNY, Battle has flown under the radar, playing in the NBA G-League with the Iowa Wolves.

    Battle averaged 16 points per game over his career at Syracuse.

  • Getty Images
    Getty Images
    loading...
    2

    Michael Carter-Williams

    MCW is a story of a massive high followed by a huge freefall off a cliff.

    Carter-Williams was the 11th pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, after two seasons at Syracuse.

    He won the NBA Rookie of the Year award in his first season as a pro, but his production dropped in a big way in the seasons that followed.

    MCW has bounced around the league, playing for Milwaukee, Chicago, Charlotte, Houston, and Orlando, where he currently averages just a hair over five points per game.

  • Getty Images
    Getty Images
    loading...
    3

    Rakeem Christmas

    Ah yes, the man with the most festive name in basketball.

    Christmas was relatively non-descript in his first three seasons with Cuse.

    He turned it on though in the 2014-2015 season, averaging 17.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.

    His career since leaving Syracuse has been somewhat of lump of coal however. His NBA career never took off, bouncing around a few teams and spending time in what's now known as the NBA G-League.

    He currently plays pro ball in Turkey.

  • Getty Images
    Getty Images
    loading...
    4

    Trevor Cooney

    Cooney probably could have been more successful had be not needed to share a backcourt with 3-4 other quality guards (including Michael Carter-Williams) in the early 2010s.

    Still, he carved out a pretty good role and made two Final Fours with the Orange.

    Cooney went undrafted in 2016. He signed with an NBA developmental team before bouncing around overseas.

    He is however a strong mental health advocate following the suicide of one of his closest friends, so it's amazing to see he is devoting time to such a great cause.

  • Getty Images
    Getty Images
    loading...
    5

    Eric Devendorf

    A cult hero at Syracuse, albeit one with some baggage.

    Devendorf was a bit of a "passing of the torch" type player, arriving at the tail end of Gerry McNamara's spell with the Orange.

    He developed into a solid scorer and a clutch player for the Orange, highlighted by his stellar 34-point performance against South Alabama in the 2007 NIT and in 2006 hitting the go-ahead layup against Georgetown to take Syracuse to the Big Easat Championship.

    However, the mark on his record came in his final season, when he was suspended indefinitely after an incident where he allegedly struck a female student. He completed community service and eventually was allowed to return to the team.

    Devendorf went undrafted in 2009 and proceeded to play for multiple NBA developmental teams, as well as teams in Israel, Greece, Ukraine, and New Zealand.

    He did return to Cuse.. in a way. Devendorf has played for Boeheim's Army in "The Basketball Tournament", a tournament featuring teams of former college players.

    Devendorf is currently on the coaching staff of the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team.

  • Getty Images
    Getty Images
    loading...
    6

    Kueth Duany

    Duany's family escaped religious persecution from Sudan when Kueth was young.

    He proceeded to become an important piece to the 2003 national championship, putting in solid work all season and stepping up his game in the tournament.

    Duany went undrafted in 2003 before signing an NBA developmental deal and playing in Finland, Germany, and in the ABA.

  • Getty Images
    Getty Images
    loading...
    7

    Jonny Flynn

    Flynn had a short, but amazing career with the Orange from 2007-2009, becoming the offense's motor and becoming the top scoring threat.

    He's most remembered for that performance during the 2009 Big East Tournament.

    First, the absolutely iconic six-overtime classic against UConn, where Flynn played 67 out of 70 minutes, scoring 34 points and adding 11 assists to lead the team to victory.

    The very next night (on presumably sore legs), he then led the team to another overtime victory against West Virginia, where he nabbed 15 points and nine assists.

    Syracuse lost in the final of the tourney, but he was still named the most valuable player.

    Flynn was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2009. His scoring and passing ability was definitely on display his first season.

    However a hip injury the next year and the emergence of fellow point guard Ricky Rubio spelled the end of his time in Minnesota, and his production took a nosedive in the following season.

    After Minnesota, he was passed around to Houston, Portand, Detroit, Indiana, and the Los Angeles Clippers.

    He proceeded to then play overseas in Australia, China, and Italy.

     

     

  • Getty Images
    Getty Images
    loading...
    8

    Scoop Jardine

    With a name like Scoop, you always knew he was going to be a point guard.

    Jardine's peak season came in 2010-2011, where he dropped 12.5 points per game. The next season he would get to the Elite Eight with Cuse before losing to Ohio State.

    Scoop went undrafted in 2012. He has played in the NBA G-League, Croatia, and Canada.

  • Getty Images
    Getty Images
    loading...
    9

    Fab Melo

    This one is quite sad.

    Melo came to America from Brazil in 2008 and joined up with Jim Boeheim in 2010.

    He became known as a solid defensive presence down in the paint and was a big force behind a fairly dominant run for Syracuse in the 2012 season. He was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year that season, when the sseven-footer averaged 3.7 blocks per game.

    However, Melo was suspended a few times during that season though for academic reasons.

    Melo spent one year in the NBA with the Boston Celtics before returning to Brazil to play professionally.

    Fab Melo died on February 11, 2017 in his sleep at his home in Brazil. The official reason was listed as natural causes, and reports out of the country indicate he had a heart attack. He was 26 years old.

  • Getty Images
    Getty Images
    loading...
    10

    Donovan McNabb

    Yeah. That Donovan McNabb.

    Most people know that six-time Pro Bowl NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb played football at Syracuse University, but most forget that he also played basketball for Jim Boeheim.

    McNabb suited up for five games during the 1995-1996 season that saw Syracuse lose to Kentucky in the National Championship game. He averaged one point per game. Just one.

    He did a little better the next season, appearing in 19 games and nearly tripling his points average... to 2.8 points per game.

    It's safe to say he was better at football. McNabb played from 1995-1998. In his senior year, he led the Orange to the Orange Bowl against Florida and was a Heisman Trophy finalist.

    McNabb was selected by the Eagles in the 1998 draft with the second overall pick. He proceeded to become the best quarterback in team history. McNabb was the runner up in MVP voting in 2000 and almost won the Super Bowl for Philly in 2004.

    McNabb also played for the Redskins and Vikings in his NFL career.

More From KISS 104.1