Pearl Washington, Derrick Coleman, Billy Owens, John Wallace, Carmelo Anthony, Jonny Flynn.
That's just a select few of the 14 previous Syracuse recruits to be named to the McDonald's All-American team. Now you can extend that list to 16 because two more names will be added to the mix, elevating their expectations when they put on orange next year.
Rakeem Christmas and Michael Carter-Williams earned roster invites, released Thursday, to play in the 34th Annual All-Star exhibition game, March 30 in Chicago.
Syracuse's third 2011 recruit, Trevor Cooney, was nominated to play in the game but was unselected.
It's the fourth time Syracuse has had multiple recruits in the game. The most recent duo were some guys named Jonny Flynn & Donte Greene in 2007. Before them, John Wallace and Michael Lloyd played in 1992, though Lloyd would not end up playing for the Orange end up playing sparingly before leaving SU over academic issues. The original duo were Derrick Coleman and Stephen Thompson in 1986.
Even with two recruits, the Orange aren't the most represented. That would be Kentucky, with four players. Duke, meanwhile, will have three.
With this honor comes heighten expectations for next season. Just ask Fab Melo, who played in the game last year.