By Michael McAllister
On Brent Axe's show, On The Block, he mentioned the Hakim Warrick dunk over Royal Ivey. That got us thinking, is that the best dunk in Syracuse history? In order to determine that, we compiled our top five dunks all-time at Syracuse. Let the debate begin:
5. Sherman Douglas "hike pass" to Stevie Thompson
Two seasons following Syracuse's loss to Indiana in the NCAA title game, the Orange and Hoosiers battled in the regular season. The Orange dominated the contest, winning 102-78, in a bit of revenge. But during the game was one of the best plays in Syracuse history. Off a loose ball, Sherman Douglas bent over to pick up the ball. Rather than grabbing the ball, standing up, and turning around to make the pass, he decided bent over was a perfect position to do make that pass. Douglas hiked the ball like a center in football the length of the floor to an open Stevie Thompson who threw it down with two hands.
4. Michael Carter-Williams over Achiuwa
Syracuse had just gotten Fab Melo back, and looked to reassert their dominance in the Big East. Trailing by a large margin half way through the second half, St. John's looked to press. The Orange, however, passed to Carter-Williams with a head of steam near mid-court. Carter-Williams sprinter into the front court and no one picked him up. He exploded down the lane, leaped into the air, and threw down one of the most ferocious dunks in Syracuse history. Remember, he's a point-guard.
3. Hakim Warrick Flat-Footed vs Notre Dame
A top-10 Orange team traveled to South Bend to take on the Irish in January of 2005. Less than three minutes into the game, Hakim Warrick got the pass from McNamara. He was standing still, waiting to make a move, when he decided he'd rather be in the air. From a flat footed stance, he exploded into the air, extended, and threw down an unbelievably powerful dunk.
2. Jonny Flynn over Mike Rosario
Every time Syracuse plays Rutgers, this play is brought up. One of the greatest dunks you'll ever see. The Orange were clinging to a four point lead in the second half. Flynn brought the ball up the court, and the Orange spread the floor to let Flynn take his man one on one. Mike Rosario rotated over off of Andy Rautins, and the rest is history...
1. Hakim Warrick over Royal Ivey in the Final Four
Of all the dunks on this list, this was in the biggest game. But regardless of game context, it's still the best one. Warrick grabs a loose ball/offensive rebound, holds the ball for a split second and sees an opening along the baseline. He takes a dribble, and leaps. Royal Ivey, who spend most of the night being torched by Carmelo Anthony, stepped in to take the charge. The good news for Ivey, is that he did receive a charge call in his favor. The bad news for Ivey, the dunk still counted, and is now the brunt of one of the best dunks in college basketball history.
Honorable Mention
There are countless great dunks in Syracuse basketball history. So here are a few that just missed the cut, in no particular order.
Dave Johnson Put-Back Against Georgetown
Paul Harris Self Alley-Oop
CJ Fair Against Cornell
CJ Fair Against Pitt
Carmelo Anthony against Georgetown
Oldies but Goodies. A highlight clip of some dunks from the 89-90 season:
Not in a game, but still cool. Arinze Onuaku breaks the backboard at Midnight Madness
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photo credit: yougotdunkedon.com
