On This Day: Carmelo Anthony leads Syracuse to the National Title

With the NBA, MLB, NHL and other major sports leagues and sporting events suspended or canceled, on a daily basis, we will revisit some of the most unforgettable games and sports moments in history. Welcome to On This Day.

Carmelo Anthony is one of the greatest scorers the NBA has ever seen.

For his career, he averages 23.6 points per game, and he’s averaged more than 25 points per game for an entire season eight times.

Yeah you!

But before he was dominating the NBA and building a Hall of Fame resume, he was displaying that same scoring prowess at the collegiate level – and on April 7, 2003, Anthony reached the peak of the college game.

Anthony entered his freshman year at Syracuse in 2002 as the No. 1 prospect in the country, after spending his senior year at Oak Hill in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia.

He even defeated LeBron James’ legendary St. Vincent St. Mary’s team during his senior year.

Carmelo Anthony led Oak Hill to a 32-1 record before taking his talents to Syracuse University. There, he would dominate almost instantly, leading Syracuse to a top four seed in the NCAA Tournament.

During his freshman season, Anthony averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds

There had been instances where freshman led teams on deep tournament runs,  but hadn’t won it all.

The Michigan Wolverines ‘Fab Five,’ led by Chris Webber, Jalen Rose and Juwan Howard, went all the way to the National Championship game in 1992 as freshmen, but fell short.

Anthony was one of the few to seal the deal.

On this day in 2003, Anthony delivered long-time Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim his first national championship.

In the title game against Kansas, Anthony recorded a 20-point and 10-rebound double-double, after exploding for 33 points against Texas in the Final Four.

Take a look back at the Syracuse Orangemen winning the National Championship, led by Anthony.