Syracuse to retire Carmelo Anthony's jersey

Carmelo at the 2003 Final Four, which was when he led Syracuse to its only national championship. (AP)

Nearly 10 years gone following the greatest accomplishment in the history of Syracuse men's basketball, the program will honor the player who was the primary catalyst for said achievement.

I, for one, am feeling quite creaky upon the realization that it's already been a decade since Carmelo Anthony led Syracuse to its only national title. It was 2003, Syracuse was a No. 3 seed, and Melo, Hakim Warrick and Gerry McNamara went on one of the more memorable runs in modern tourney history.

SU is appropriately going to pay homage to arguably its most famous player on Feb. 23, when the Orange host their rival, Georgetown, in the last intra-Big East battle between the foes at the Carrier Dome. (Syracuse leaves for the ACC next season; Georgetown and the rest of the Catholic 7 are starting up their own cool-kids club as we speak.)

Anthony's No. 15 jersey -- a massive version of it, natch -- will be hoisted up to the marshmallow top of the Dome at halftime. He becomes the 10th player in Syracuse basketball history to get the honor bestowed upon him.

Syracuse went 30-5 during that 2002-03 that season, led by Anthony's 22.2 points and 10 boards per game. He earned the Most Outstanding Player at the Final Four in New Orleans, though it was Hakim Warrick's block on Michael Lee that became the signature moment for then-Orangemen's (never forget!) title.

Anthony's humongous jersey will hang alongside Dave Bing's, Derrick Coleman's, Sherman Douglas', Billy Gabor's, Vic Hanson's, Billy Owens', Wilmeth Sadat-Singh's, Rony Seikaly's and Pearl Washington's.

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