How the Baltimore to Syracuse pipeline created opportunities and basketball stars
BALTIMORE -- Baltimore and Syracuse may be separated by over 330 miles, but there are strong ties between the cities when it comes to basketball.
Jim Boeheim, who retired Wednesday after 47 years as the Syracuse head coach, is known to have recruited multiple players from the Baltimore area to play for the Orange.
The most famous recruit was Towson Catholic standout Carmelo Anthony, who as a freshman in 2003 led Syracuse to the team's only NCAA basketball championship.
But Anthony was not the only Charm City standout to play in the Carrier Dome. Boeheim had success recruiting players from the famed Dunbar High School, too.
For example, forward Herman "Helicopter" Harried played for Syracuse in the late 1980s. Also, Michael Brown was recruited from Dunbar to play at Syracuse. Brown did eventually transfer to Clemson.
Additionally, Rodney Walker was a star at Cardinal Gibbons High School in the 1980s before playing for the Orange. He also left the program transferring to Maryland for his junior and senior years.
Michael Lloyd was another highly-rated high school star from Dunbar who played for Syracuse in the mid-1990s.
After Anthony left the school for the NBA following his outstanding freshman season, several other standout players elected to play for Boeheim.
The Towson Catholic to Syracuse pipeline continued with Donte Greene. The 6'9'' forward led the Orange in scoring as a freshman before leaving for the NBA.
Also, C.J. Fair played high school basketball at City College, and after a year at a prep school, he played for the Orange for four years. Fair was the leading scorer and rebounder on the Syracuse team that advanced to the Final Four in 2014.
