The late Pearl Washington will be honored at this year’s ACC Tournament in the Brooklyn, the conference announced earlier today.
Fourteen former standout players and an inspirational national championship coach headline this year’s class of Atlantic Coast Conference Basketball Legends presented by New York Life.
The fourteen inductees are:
Troy Bell, Boston College
Edward Scott, Clemson
Shelden Williams, Duke
Tim Pickett, Florida State
Matt Harpring, Georgia Tech
Rodney McCray, Louisville
Wayne Beckner, Miami
Antawn Jamison, North Carolina
Jim Valvano, NC State
Gary Brokaw, Notre Dame
Curtis Aiken, Pitt
Pearl Washington, Syracuse
Junior Burrough, Virginia
Bobby Beecher, Virginia Tech
Josh Howard, Wake Forest
As the press release reads:
Pearl Washington, Syracuse (1983-86) – A standout point guard on three of head coach Jim Boeheim’s teams of the mid-1980s, Washington established a lasting legacy during a collegiate career in which he tallied 1,490 career points, a total that still ranks 25th on the school's list. He led the Orange in scoring as a junior, averaging 17.3 points per outing. He distributed 199 assists as a freshman, the top rookie mark at Syracuse, and ranks fourth in career assists with 631. He led the team in assists each of his three seasons. Washington, who passed away last spring at the age of 52, made 220 career steals to rank fifth on the Orange’s all-time list, and Syracuse earned NCAA Tournament invitations in each of his seasons with the program. One of his many show-stopping plays came in his freshman season in the Carrier Dome, when his halfcourt shot as time expired lifted the Orange to 75-73 win over Boston College. Syracuse recognized Washington this past December by affixing his number “31” at the spot on court from which he launched his famous shot.
This is extremely well deserved to an incredible basketball player, and an even better person.