THE 'CUSE.....aka ORANGMEN.....Before FRESHMAN Sensation 'MELO.....there was another FRESHMAN Sensation at the 'CUSE...BILLY O

Syracuse , New YORK, located in the Northwest Upstate New YORK, is home to one of the BEST PRIVATE Universities in the US......SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY. Home to the FAMOUS Broadcasting School called....the NEWHOUSE School of Public COMMUNICATIONS. Arguably the best Broadcast School there is in the COUNTRY......ask the Broadcast Company in BRISTOL CT.......ESPN.....how many GRADS they have from NEWHOUSE......it's a FACTORY like no other.

And speaking of FACTORIES they have two at SYRACUSE.........one being Men's Lacrosse and the other....Men's BASKETBALL. But this particular story isn't about NEWHOUSE, or Men's LaCrosse........and it's not even about the SYRACUSE Hoops Program in General. This Story is about 2 of the most HIGHLY RATED Recruits ever to step foot on CAMPUS at the 'CUSE. And before the much publicized Oak HILL All-American by way of BALTIMORE...CARMELO ANTHONY aka 'MELO won LEGENDARY Coach Jim BOEHIEM his 1st NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.......there was another Forward just as talked about.

Bluedude Sportstalk SMURFS put your hands together for CARLISLE PA. H.S. BISON Player and 1988 McDONALD'S All-American Forward Billy OWENS. A Top 3 Nationally ranked player in the US with Alonzo MOURNING of Chesapeake VA Indian RIVER HS, Billy OWENS of Carlisle Pa HS, and LaPhonso ELLIS of East St. Louis LINCOLN ILL HS.

Billy was the Prize catch that year and he was such a catch that Syracuse All-AMERICAN and Detroit NORTHERN HS Product Forward Derrick COLEMAN decided not to enter his name in the 1989 NBA Draft so that he could play with BILLY O.

OWENS recruitment was fairly simple as his OLDER Brother, Michael, was already a Running Back at the 'CUSE, so it was going to be tough sledding for anyone trying to get him. OWENS HS Coach at CARLISLE was Dave LEBO, whose son JEFF was a STAR Player as well at CARLISLE, had coached the young OWENS all 4 years. Jeff, who was a year older than BILLY, was on full scholarship at North CAROLINA Chapel HILL. So obviously it came down to the 'CUSE and UNC for his services among others.

BILLY Chose the 'CUSE and joined the likes of "the GENERAL" Sherman DOUGLAS, LA Crenshaw's Stephen THOMPSON, NAWLINS' own David JOHNSON, and the aforementioned Derrick 'DC" COLEMAN. They were a Special team and now they had this 6'8" Magic Johnson-TYPE with a handle like a GUARD, a finish to the RIm like a High-Flyer would, a Nice Mid-Range Game, and could see the floor with the best of them..........and when he played........IT WAS SILKY-SMOOTH.

OWENS left the 'CUSE after his junior year and was a Top 5 Pick in the 1991 NBA DRAFT to the Sacramento KINGS and then traded before his rookie season to the Golden STATE WARRIORS. An above average NBA PLAYER that kinda disappointed a few people with OWENS having those LOFTY EXPECTATIONS put on him after a STELLAR Career in HS and in COLLEGE.

After all we know 'MELO and the 'CUSE won Coach JIM BOEHEIM's ONly NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.......but it was the players that paved the way to get 'MELO to the 'CUSE......and one of them players was BILLY O...of CARLISLE Pennsylvania fame.

NOTE: The Best Forward at the 'CUSE and better Professional PLAYER was DERRICK COLEMAN...a MAN among boys at the 'CUSE.....but COLEMAN was a True Power Forward and there are similar styles with 'MELO and BILLY O..........they are true WING FORWARDS