Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks' NCAA Tournament Moments
Carmelo Anthony won it all with Syracuse in 2003. He's the only current Knicks player to trim the NCAA championship game's nets.
One other current Knick made it to the final game of the NCAA tournament. Who is he?
All together, 13 of the 15 players on the 2011 Knicks roster made it to the Big Dance. Who are the two that didn't?
Two Knicks made it to the tournament all four years: one with Duke and one with Gonzaga. Who are they?
Let's take a break from all of our angst for a moment and look back at more joyous times for these New York Knicks...
Amar'e Stoudemire: Cypress Creek Bears (High School)
1 of 19Amar'e Stoudemire is one of the Knicks who never played in the NCAA tournament. He was too cool (on the court) for school and jumped straight to the NBA from high school.
He graduated from Cypress Creek High School in Orlando, Florida—his sixth high school in a challenging youth, partially defined by his father's death when Amar'e was 12.
Already good at football in his teens, he originally intended on playing for Florida State, and then the NFL. But one night, his idol Shaquille O'Neal (then playing for the Orlando Magic) shattered the backboard, and Amar'e was inspired to play basketball.
In 2002, as a high school senior, Amar'e Stoudemire was named Florida's Mr. Basketball and was the best high school player (and better than most college players) in the country.
He's 19 in the photo as a McDonald's All-American, just before being drafted by the Phoenix Suns in the first round (ninth) in 2002.
Check out this interesting bio of Amar'e Stoudemire.
Anthony Carter: Hawaii Warriors
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Anthony Carter hasn't changed much. Either he looks young now or he looked old then; then being 1997.
Today, Carter is the oldest Knick at 35 and the other New York player having never been in the tourney.
He played two years for the Warriors ('96-'97, '97-'98), averaging 18.4 PPG and 6.9 APG, before skipping the draft and signing as a free agent with the Miami Heat in 1999.
Chauncey Billups: Colorado Buffaloes 1997
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Chauncey Billups, the second-oldest player on the Knicks (34), played two years at the University of Colorado ('95-'96, '96-'97) and averaged 18.5 PPG. He was drafted by the Boston Celtics in the first round (third) in 1997.
Billups went with the Buffaloes to the NCAA tournament in March of that year.
Colorado was the ninth seed and upset eighth-seeded Indiana in the first round before falling to North Carolina (who eventually went to the Final Four).
Toney Douglas: Florida State Seminoles 2009
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Toney Douglas played three years for the Seminoles ('06-'07 to '08-'09) before being selected in the 2009 draft by the Lakers in the first round (29th). He averaged 21.6 PPG in his final year.
Florida State entered the tournament as a fifth seed that year. The Seminoles were promptly bounced out in an upset by twelfth-seeded Wisconsin.
Roger Mason Jr: Virginia Cavaliers 2001
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Roger Mason Jr. also made it to the Dance once, in 2001, in the second of his three-year college career. He averaged 18.6 PPG in his final year, 2002. Later, he was drafted in the second round (30th overall) by the Chicago Bulls.
In 2001, fifth-seeded Virginia lost to the twelfth-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs in the first round.
Shawne Williams: Memphis Tigers 2006
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Hard to believe Shawne Williams only played one year in college before being drafted by the Pacers in the first round (17th) in 2006. His numbers were not great.
He did help lead the Memphis Tigers that year with over six RPG and into the NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed, though. Memphis went on to the Elite Eight before being sent packing by UCLA.
Bill Walker: Kansas State Wildcats 2008
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Bill Walker averaged over 16 PPG for Kansas State in his last of two years at the university. He was drafted by the Wizards in the second round (47th) of the 2008 draft—just after he went to the tourney with the Wildcats.
The 11th-seeded Wildcats upset sixth-seeded Southern Cal before being upended by Wisconsin in the second round.
Renaldo Balkman: South Carolina Gamecocks 2004
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Renaldo Balkman had an average college career, but still boarded over five RPG for over three years in South Carolina. The Knicks drafted him in the first round (20th) in 2006.
Balkman made his only (brief) appearance in the tournament his freshman year in 2004, where the Gamecocks were dispatched by the Memphis Tigers 59-43 (ouch) in the first round.
Landry Fields: Stanford Cardinals 2007, 2008
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Knicks fan favorite Landry Fields may not have even made the NBA had it not been for his senior year, when he went off the charts with 22 PPG and 8.8 RPG. His previous three campaigns were underwhelming. The Knicks went ahead and drafted him in the second round (39th) in 2010 and have been well rewarded.
Fields and the Cardinals made it to the tournament twice together in 2007 and 2008. They were bounced in the first round in 2007 by the other Cardinals (Louisville), but made a run in 2008 before falling to the Texas Longhorns in the Sweet 16.
That's Russell Westbrook in the Bruins uni, by the way.
Andy Rautins: Syracuse Orange 2006, 2009, 2010
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Now we get to some guys with some serious NCAA creds.
Andy Rautins had a mediocre college career before averaging about five assists per game in his senior year, but he danced three times for the Syracuse Orange, and was drafted by the Knicks in the second round (38th) just ahead of Landry Fields.
Fifth-seeded Syracuse was upset in the first round in 2006 by Texas A&M.
The Orange made it to the Sweet 16 in 2009 and 2010 when they were seeded third and first respectively. In 2010 they lost to Cinderella team Butler, who made it to the finals.
Derrick Brown: Xavier Musketeers 2007, 2008, 2009
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Derrick Brown did not have a remarkable college career, but he went to the tournament with the perennially dangerous Xavier Musketeers three times. He was drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats in 2009 (second round, 40th).
Xavier went to the Elite Eight in 2008, when the Musketeers were seeded third. They lost to UCLA.
Shelden Williams: Duke Blue Devils 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
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Here's a college basketball scientific expression that is practically a law:
(Shelden Williams) played for Duke under Mike Krzyzewski, therefore (Shelden Williams) went to many NCAA tournaments.
Shelden averaged almost 19 PPG in his final year and, yikes, over nine RPG for his four-year Blue Devils career. He was selected by the Hawks in the first round (fifth) of the 2006 draft.
Alas, poor Shelden, you missed a championship, however, rather insanely, you and Duke were a No. 3 seed in 2003 and a No. 1 seed in 2004, 2005 and 2006.
Williams and the Blue Devils made it to the Final Four in 2004, but lost to eventual champion UConn.
Ronny Turiaf: Gonzaga Bulldogs 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
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Ronny Turiaf is the other Knick with four invitations to the Big Dance—with the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Turiaf averaged 15 PPG each of his last three years and almost 10 RPG in his senior season. He was drafted by the Lakers in the second round (37th) in 2005.
After making the tournament once in its history before 1998, Gonzaga has made it the last 13 years in a row.
Turiaf was there when the Bulldogs were seeded No. 2 and No. 3 in 2004 and 2005, respectively. Too bad, they never made it out of the round of 32.
Jared Jeffries: Indiana Hoosiers 2001, 2002
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Before getting into it, look how frightened that dude looks. If only Jeffries instilled this type of fear in his NBA opponents.
He averaged 15 points and 7.6 rebounds per game for the Hoosiers and was drafted by the Wizards in 2002 in the first round (11th).
Jared Jeffries took the stage twice. In 2002, fifth-seeded Indiana went all the way to the Finals before succumbing to the Maryland Terps.
Carmelo Anthony: Syracuse Orange 2003 NCAA Champions
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Phenom Carmelo Anthony took the college basketball world by storm in 2002-03, his only season. He averaged 22.2 PPG, 10 RBG, 2.2 APG, 1.6 STP and .9 BPG. Ridiculous.
And then he won the NCAA championship with Syracuse, beating the Kansas Jayhawks 81-78.
He was drafted in the first round (third) by the Denver Nuggets (after LeBron James and Darko Milicic).
Bonus: Carmelo Anthony and Syracuse Win 2003 NCAA Championship
16 of 19Knicks fans hope to see Carmelo celebrating like this once again.
Bonus: Ronny Turiaf Graduates Gonzaga
17 of 19Ya gotta love fan favorite Knicks "big man" Ronny Turiaf.
Here's another thing to love. He didn't have to, but he went back to finish his degree. It's well documented the place Gonzaga holds in Turiaf's heart.
Bonus: Landry Fields Stanford Interview
18 of 19Get to know fan favorite Landry Fields, from his Stanford days.
OK...one more bonus, and it's a good one.
Bonus: Amar'e Stoudemire Cypress Creek Highlights
19 of 19This just doesn't seem fair.
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