The Orangeperson Of The Decade

Years from now, after The Great Interplanetary Wars are long over, you'll be cruising over New Earth in your hoverboots, sipping on Jupiter Juice that you purchased with $442 space dollars and you'll be asked to look back on the Earth years 2000 - 2009 and name one person that best represents that era for Syracuse sports.

Remember that as you make your choice for Orangeperson of the Decade from the candidates below (Sorry, DOC, you can't write-in yourself):

Carmelo Anthony - The main reason Syracuse won the National Championship in 2003. Also the guy who's name is on the state of the art basketball complex on campus as well.

Jim Boeheim - Boeheim reached some major career landmarks in the 2000's. He finally won that elusive National Title in 2003 and added a third Final Four to his collection. He notched win No. 800 in 2009, one of only eight coaches to ever reach that number. And he was inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005.

John Desko - Desko might be the only active coach at Syracuse University who can sit at the same table with Jim Boeheim and not feel like he doesn't belong there. Desko won five National Titles in the decade ('00, '02, '04, '08, '09), perhaps none more impressive than the '08 one which followed Syracuse's worst season in years. He oversaw three Tewaaraton Trophy winners and ended the decade where he started...coaching the most elite lacrosse program in the nation.

Gerry McNamara - Without him, we wouldn't have won ten f**king games. Not ten! Including the 2003 NCAA Title game, BYU in the first round of the '04 NCAA Tourney, every game in the 2006 NCAA Tournament and many more. And now he's teaching future generations of SU ballplayers how to be great.

Mikey Powell - A four-time First Team All-American at Syracuse University, he became the first, and only, player to win the Jack Turnbull Award as the top attackman in Division I lacrosse four consecutive times. He was also a four-time finalist for the Tewaaraton Trophy, the lacrosse equivalent of the Heisman Trophy, and is the only player to win the award twice^. He led Syracuse to two national championships and holds the school record for most career points. Not a bad career.

Walter Reyes - His 2003 season was the 2nd best single-season in SU history (1,347 yards) and also featured the 2nd best single-game performance in SU history (241 yards, 2 TDs). The only SU running back to rush for over 1,000 yards twice in the 2000's. He rushed for 17 TDs one season and followed it up with 20 TDs the next. No other SU RB even made it to 15.

Katie Rowan - Rowan ended her career as the most decorated player in Syracuse women's lacrosse history. Rowan ended her career in 2009 as Syracuse’s all-time leader in points (396), goals (232) and assists (164). She ranks fourth on the NCAA Division I all-time scoring list and third in career assists. Rowan is also the Big East's all-time leading scorer with 134 points in 22 regular-season games.

Hakim Warrick - The best Syracuse basketball player of the decade from a statistical standpoint. Responsible for The Block, Hak was named Big East Player of the Year, All-Big East First Team twice and currently the fifth-best scorer and fourth-best rebounder in school history.

So...who is your Orangeperson of the Decade?