College Basketball Power Rankings: The 25 Greatest Players in Big East History
The Big East is probably the most storied conference in college basketball. To name all the great players from it would take days, and no perfect list can be compiled of the absolute best.
In a conference with so much history and so many great teams, picking the 25 greatest players of all time is tough. When you add in the size of the Big East, it is even tougher.
After much dwindling and winding down, here is just one man's take on the 25 greatest players in Big East basketball history.
25. Emeka Okafor, UConn
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Emeka Okafor was one of the most threatening defensive players in college basketball during his stint at UConn. He averaged a staggering 4.5 blocks per game.
He was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004 and helped lead the Huskies to a national title in 2003.
With 13.8 points per game and a whopping 10.6 rebounds, he was a threat in the paint offensively as well.
24. Donyell Marshall, UConn
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Donyell Marshall was similar to an Emeka Okafor of the '90s. The big man played for UConn and was a defensive threat, averaging 2.7 blocks per game.
Marhsall played at a time when the Big East was fairly weak, yet he was still the Big East Player of the Year (POY) in 1994.
He was not just a defensive player; Marshall averaged 18.1 points per game in his college career.
23. Gerry McNamara, Syracuse
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Gerry McNamara may be often overlooked because he had virtually no professional career, yet his impact with Syracuse in the early 2000s was so key in them winning the tourney in 2003.
Averaging 15.5 points per game and 4.8 assists, McNamara was the ringleader of an offense that featured a brilliant Carmelo Anthony. It was McNamara who was often responsible for feeding Anthony the ball and allowing him to make the big shots.
McNamara was also one of the most clutch free-throw shooters of his time, shooting 89 percent from the line during his career.
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22. Mark Jackson, St. John's
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Mark Jackson never was a scoring leader in his career at St. John's, yet he was one of the smartest point guards in the game, made the right passes at the right time and only took smart shots.
He averaged only 10 points per game, yet he was a 51 percent FG shooter and a 42% percent 3FG shooter.
It was this efficiency that made Jackson a stellar guard for the Red Storm.
21. Billy Owens, Syracuse
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Billy Owens averaged 3.7 assists per game over his career at Syracuse, and he was a forward. It's fair to say that he was one of the best passing forwards the game has ever seen.
In addition to being a great ball-handler for a big man, he averaged 17.9 points per game and 8.8 rebounds.
Syracuse was never great when Owens was there, but he certainly was.
20. Kemba Walker, UConn
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The most recent player on this list, Kemba Walker's game matured so much in his three years with the Connecticut Huskies.
During his freshman season, Walker averaged only 8.9 points per game. By his junior season, he averaged 23.4 points per game and had one of the most clutch performances in a March Madness tournament ever, leading the Huskies to an NCAA title over the Butler Bulldogs.
19. Terry Dehere, Seton Hall
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Seton Hall doesn't have a fantastic basketball history, yet Terry Dehere is certainly a bright star in their record books. During his tenure there in the early '90s, Dehere was able to lead the Pirates to relevance, carrying them to the Final Four.
He averaged 21.6 points per game and shot 39 percent from behind the arc.
He is the biggest star to date in Seton Hall's history and holds many of the school's scoring and shooting records.
18. Troy Bell, Boston College
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Troy Bell is the perfect example of a pure shooter. He averaged 21.6 points per game and shot 37 percent from behind the arc.
For a point guard, he was not the greatest ball-handler, but he played his position well enough and was an accurate enough shooter to lead Boston College to strong seasons while he was there.
He won the Big East POY award in 2003.
17. Ed Pinckney, Villanova
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Ed Pinckney doesn't have the most stellar stats compared to some of the other players on this list, yet he was instrumental in leading the Villanova Wildcats to one of the most exciting and shocking March Madness tournament wins ever.
He averaged only 14.5 points per game in his career at Villanova, but also averaged 8.6 rebounds and was a 60 percent FG shooter.
Villanova's 1985 tournament win over Big East rival Georgetown was one of the most thrilling ever and Pinckney will forever be remembered as the most valuable player in that final championship game.
16. Troy Murphy, Notre Dame
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Troy Murphy, a true Irishman, was a dual threat offensively for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Not only could the big man amass a great deal of rebounds, (9.8 per game) but he could also shoot very well from beyond the arc.
In his career in South Bend, Murphy averaged 21.4 points per game, and was equally effective in scoring in the paint and from outside.
Fittingly, the red-headed Murphy is now a member of the Boston Celtics.
15. Sherman Douglas, Syracuse
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Sherman Douglas is remembered mostly for his prowess as a passer. He averaged a whopping seven assists per game during his career at Syracuse and is one of the first college basketball guards to fine-tune and utilize the alley-oop.
In addition to being a great passer, Douglas was a good shooter, especially while driving in the lane. He averaged 14.9 points per game over his career and fell just short of the title with Syracuse in 1987, when they lost to Bob Knight's Indiana.
14. Eric "Sleepy" Floyd, Georgetown
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Eric "Sleepy" Floyd was Patrick Ewing's right-hand man during Georgetown's dominance during the early 1980s.
Known for his distinctive "sleepy" eyelids, Floyd averaged 18.1 points per game during his career and was responsible for feeding the ball to Ewing and turning him into a star.
Floyd remained a fantastic scorer in the NBA, but never really looked like he was wide awake.
13. Reggie Williams, Georgetown
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Reggie Williams played for the Georgetown Hoyas during a very bright time in their career. He won the tourney with them in 1984, alongside Patrick Ewing, and led them to another victory in 1987 with a team that featured very young players.
During that 1987 season, "Reggie and the Miracles," as they were dubbed, shocked many people who thought the era of Georgetown dominance had ended.
He averaged 15.3 points per game during his career and could shoot from anywhere on the court.
12. Charles Smith, Pittsburgh
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Charles Smith is, without question, the Pittsburgh Panthers' first star player.
As a big center, Smith was amazingly versatile. He averaged 16.8 points per game, 8.1 rebounds and 2.8 blocks.
He was not just a threat in the paint either; Smith was a 53 percent FG shooter. That's amazing for a center.
Offense and defense—Smith did it all for the Panthers.
11. Alonzo Mourning, Georgetown
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Georgetown just kept producing star after star, and Mourning led the Hoyas into the '90s.
Dubbed the "next Patrick Ewing" when he came to Georgetown, Mourning lived up the expectations and averaged 16.7 points per game, 8.6 rebounds and 3.8 blocks.
A three-time Defensive POY, opponents had a tough time scoring when Mourning was under the hoop.
10. Ray Allen, UConn
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Ray Allen was absolutely brilliant as a Connecticut Husky.
He was a pure shooter, averaging 19 points per game and shooting 45 percent from beyond the arc during his career.
Being a 45 percent three-point shooter is simply amazing, and Allen never lost this skill, as he is now the all-time NBA leader in three-point shots.
9. Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse
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Carmelo Anthony only played one season at Syracuse, but boy was it a good one. The forward averaged 22.2 points per game and 10 rebounds that year and led the Orange to a relatively surprising tournament win in 2003 as a true freshman.
Few players in college basketball history have ever had as amazing a freshman season as Anthony, and fittingly, he was a unanimous pick for Rookie of the Year in 2003.
8. Kerry Kittles, Villanova
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Kerry Kittles is to Villanova what Tim Tebow is to Florida football. He holds virtually ever Wildcats basketball record there is.
He was a fantastic scorer, averaging 18.9 points per game during his career. In addition, though, he was an amazing defensive player. He averaged 2.3 steals per game during his career.
Not surprisingly, Kittles leads Nova in both all-time scoring and steals.
7. Richard Hamilton, UConn
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Following the departure of Ray Allen in 1996, Richard Hamilton took over as the star of the Connecticut Huskies basketball team and led them to their first-ever NCAA title in 1999.
At 6'7", Hamilton was an enormous shooting guard who could very easily be a forward too.
He was a big-shot taker, and rightfully so. He averaged 19.8 points per game in his career as a Husky.
6. Allen Iverson, Georgetown
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Many people forget that Allen Iverson ever played college basketball since he went on to be one of the most dynamic pros of his generation.
Iverson, or AI as they say, certainly did play college ball, however, and was stellar while he did so.
He averaged a whopping 23 points per game and was one of the quickest and stealthiest ball-handlers that the game had ever seen.
Not only was he an offensive weapon, however; he won Defensive POY in 1995 and 1996 and averaged 3.2 steals per game in his college career.
5. Dwayne Washington, Syracuse
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Dwayne Washington was one of the most exciting players to watch while he played at Syracuse.
He was by no means the prettiest player, yet Washington's scrappy style of basketball made him a fan favorite and a tough guy to defend.
You never really knew what Washington was capable of, and he averaged 15.6 points per game in his career at Syracuse.
4. Walter Berry, St. Johns
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Along with fellow top-25ers Mark Jackson and Chris Mullin, Berry was another star on a very good St. John's squad during the mid-1980s.
In his career as a member of the Red Storm, he averaged 20.1 points per game and 9.9 rebounds and was instrumental in St. John's 1985 Final Four run.
3. Derrick Coleman, Syracuse
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During his four years at Syracuse, Derrick Coleman did just about everything for the Orange. He was a shooter, rebounder, shot-blocker and ball-handler.
His mobility for a big man was shocking and made him a force to be reckoned with.
During his college career, Coleman averaged 15 points per game, 10.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks.
There was really nothing that Coleman didn't do for the Syracuse Orange.
2. Chris Mullin, St. John's
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It really is shocking that St. John's never won it all in the '80s. Between Chris Mullin, Mark Jackson and Walter Berry, they had three of the greatest players to ever perform in the Big East.
Of the Red Storm "Big 3," Mullin was the most prolific. He averaged 19.5 points game and 4.1 rebounds. He was also a 55 percent FG shooter.
Mullin was the classic example of a small forward; he had height, speed and shooting ability. He's one of the greatest college basketball players of all time.
1. Patrick Ewing, Georgetown
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Last but not the least, a man that needs no introduction, Patrick Ewing.
Patrick Ewing is arguably the best college basketball player ever. The hype surrounding him when he committed to Georgetown was immense and all signs pointed to him to fail, yet Ewing never let the pressure of being a star at 18 years old get to him.
During his college career, Ewing averaged 15.3 points per game and 9.2 rebounds.
Defensively, he was also a great shot-blocker and Defensive POY in all four of his seasons.
Ewing led Georgetown to three NCAA title game appearances and is forever ingrained in not only Hoya, but Big East legacy.
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