15 best NCAA basketball players we wish played in the Twitter era

3. Best NCAA basketball players before Twitter: Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse

Leading your school’s program to their first NCAA Championship is a pretty rare thing, even though our list features multiple of these types of players.

Perhaps none of them is more impressive than what Carmelo Anthony did in his one year with the Syracuse Orangemen, taking them to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. His play was so outstanding in the 2003 season that he not only did that but took them the whole way, winning the NCAA Title. He was the Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player and left his collegiate career averaging 22.2 points and 10 rebounds.

In that season, he put the Orangemen on his back, leading the team in scoring, rebounding, minutes played, field goals made and free throws made and attempted. His 33-point dominance against Texas in that year’s Final Four set an NCAA tournament record for most points scored by a freshman.

Anthony declared for the 2003 NBA Draft and would go with the No. 3 overall pick to Denver before going on to a great NBA career, which is still ongoing today, and already includes ten All-Star appearances, a scoring title, and four gold medals with the United States National team.

To me, Carmelo Anthony’s star would’ve shone even brighter in his collegiate career had it come in the Twitter-era, wherein his highlight plays would’ve magnified even the feats that he accomplished. With as much of a social media following as Ja Morant and Zion Williamson had during their time in college, you’ve got to think that Melo’s would’ve been amplified by the Twitter spotlight.