Whether he goes or stays, Carmelo Anthony leaves behind a litany of broken records from his freshman season at Syracuse.

Indeed, statistics and accomplishments show that Anthony’s year was the best ever by a freshman men’s basketball player.

‘Carmelo’s the best freshman I’ve seen in my 17 years here,” Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun said. “And I’ve had some terrific players.”

Anthony’s in elite all-time company, too.

He joined Louisville’s Pervis Ellison (1986) and Utah’s Arnie Ferrin (1944) among freshmen who won NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors.

His 22.2 points and 10 rebounds per game — both team bests this year — are tops all time among SU freshmen. He ranks third among all SU players in single-season point total, with 778.

In NCAA Tournament games, Anthony’s numbers accentuate his worth.

His 53 points in the Final Four are first all time among freshmen since 1972-73. When he scored 33 points against Texas in the semifinals, he fell one short of SU’s record for points in an NCAA Tournament game.

When comparing Anthony’s freshman year to other top freshman seasons, Anthony wins out.

(BULLET)In 1977-78, Magic Johnson led Michigan State to a 25-5 record and Big Ten championship. But his 17 points per game ranked second on the Spartans.

(BULLET)Patrick Ewing led Georgetown to the national-championship game as a sophomore. But the Hoyas went 20-12 in his freshman season (1980-81) and lost to James Madison in the NCAA Tournament’s first round.

(BULLET)Ellison’s 1986 season saw the freshman center lead Louisville to a national title. Still, Ellison was the Cardinals’ third-leading scorer (13 points per game) and received support from seniors Billy Thompson, Milt Wagner and Jeff Hall.

(BULLET)Stephon Marbury gave Georgia Tech one stellar year (1995-96) before jumping to the NBA. As a freshman, Marbury shot 37 percent from 3-point range (about 4 percent better than Anthony). His 18.9 points per game, though, fall short of Anthony’s average.

(BULLET)Before he covered his body with tattoos and became the NBA’s baddest bad boy, Allen Iverson played two stellar years as Georgetown’s baby-faced magician of a point guard. He averaged 23 points for his career, best all time at Georgetown. As a freshman, though, Iverson averaged 19.8 points.

(BULLET)Villanova got one year out of Tim Thomas before the NBA’s New Jersey Nets drafted him in 1997. During Thomas’ freshman year (1996-97), the forward averaged 16.9 points and six rebounds, second and third on the Wildcats, respectively.

So the all-time and single-season numbers place Anthony atop the freshman heap.

And if they don’t provide a backdrop for his departure, they’ll serve as a daunting starting point for next season.

Published on April 15, 2003 at 12:00 pm