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One of the most famous players in Big East history, and perhaps the most well-known, beloved Syracuse player ever -- Dwayne "Pearl" Washington -- died on Wednesday, according to his family.

He was 52.

Washington battled a brain tumor since last summer, when he was first diagnosed with the malignant growth. He had the first of multiple surgeries in August, and to help offset his crippling medical costs, a GoFundMe page was started in January. It subsequently raised more than $63,000 to aid Washington in his fight.

In light of the news, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim did something on Wednesday morning he doesn't do often: tweet.

Boeheim was unusually emotional when speaking about Washington during a Wednesday afternoon press conference:

"It could be a month, it could be weeks," Washington's close friend, Mark Finney, said on April 9. "We're just accepting that God is ready for him. It's Pearl's time."

Washington spent most of his final weeks at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. The city's mayor, Bill de Blasio, proclaimed April 9, 2016, "Pearl Washington Day." The affable and dazzling point guard grew up in Brooklyn.

Washington, who earned his nickname in jest from NBA legend Earl "the Pearl" Monroe, is a legend in central New York. Washington was a smooth point guard who helped keep Syracuse competitive amid the most competitive era of Big East basketball in the early to mid-1980s. Over the course of his three-year career at Syracuse from 1983-86, Washington averaged 15.6 points, 6.7 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals. The then-named Orangemen averaged 24 wins per season while Washington was at the school.

Washington, who was considered the No. 1 recruit in the country when he picked Syracuse, had one of the biggest plays in school history on Jan. 24, 1984, when he scored the winning basket from halfcourt -- the shot still only counted as two points -- to defeat Boston College.

Washington led an upstart Syracuse team to the Big East title games in 1984 and 1986. The Orangemen's one-point loss to St. John's in the '86 conference title game was the only time in Washington's career at Syracuse that the Orangemen were on the wrong side of a one-point game.

Washington became the first Syracuse player under Jim Boeheim to leave school early. He departed after his junior season and went on to be the 13th pick in the 1986 NBA Draft (New Jersey Nets by way of the Washington Bullets). He was a three-time first-team selection to the Big East and a first-team All-American in 1985-86. In 2004, Washington was named to the First Team of the Big East's all-time, 25th anniversary team.

How good and respected was Washington's game? Check this.

At the pro level, Washington didn't have the success or fortune that he did at Syracuse. He spent two seasons with the New Jersey Nets, then his third and final year in the NBA playing for the Miami Heat, where he played just eight games. He finished with a career average of 8.6 points and 3.8 assists in 194 games.

Dwayne "Pearl" Washington changed Syracuse basketball forever. (Getty Images)

College basketball fans were made aware throughout 2015-16 of Washington's condition and his impact on the Cuse program due to the old-style "Pearl" script shirts Cuse players wore during warmups and over their jerseys while sitting on the bench. Washington's situation earned even more publicity as 10th-seeded Syracuse made a surprise run to this year's Final Four.

In light of Washington's deteriorating condition in recent months, fans have called upon Syracuse to put a statue of No. 31 outside of the Carrier Dome.

He was one of the best ever, and his death will have many in the sport reflecting on his character and style. Washington was one of a kind on the court, the dynamic, unafraid type of player who changed the course of Syracuse hoops. If you argued only Jim Boeheim had a bigger impact on the program, plenty who have followed SU hoops for decades would agree.