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In 2025, Syracuse Athletics’ imprint reverberated far beyond central New York. National champion basketball player Carmelo Anthony’s legacy was honored with enshrinement into the Basketball Hall of Fame in September. Meanwhile, Carmelo’s son, Kiyan, is aiming to chart his own legacy in his freshman season on the Orange’s men’s basketball team and is gaining national attention.

Another Orange alum rising to the top of their field is Scott Hanson. He helms the popular NFL RedZone show, which provides viewers uninterrupted action from all the NFL games each Sunday. But before Hanson was on millions of televisions, he was a walk-on for SU football, bringing the same infectious energy and attention to detail he demonstrates each seven-hour Sunday.

Elsewhere in central New York, the creators of lacrosse, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, push to compete under their own flag at the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. However, they are encountering difficulties from the International Olympic Committee since they don’t have a National Olympic Committee.

Those stories and many more populated The Daily Orange’s best sports stories of 2025. Here are our picks:

Collage by Illana Zahavy | Presentation Director

How Scott Hanson’s Syracuse walk-on career prepped his broadcasting stardom

Scott Hanson is beloved. He’s the conduit so many fans adore for bringing them all the action every NFL regular season Sunday — and he’ll return to host a similar whiparound show at the upcoming Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in February. But before his fame, he was a scrappy Syracuse football walk-on long snapper.

The same boundless energy Hanson brings to those seven-hour commercial-free Sundays on RedZone was what earned him a spot on the Orange’s roster. Though Hanson never played in a game for SU, his infectious enthusiasm in practice on the scout team helped prepare Syracuse for its matchups and is remembered fondly by his teammates.

“The guy who runs the 4.4 (second) 40-yard dash who only goes 80% is going to get to the football the same time as the guy who runs the 4.9 at 100%,” Hanson said. “That’s what I tried to demonstrate for four straight years at Syracuse, and when I’m in the fifth, sixth or seventh hour of a ‘RedZone’ show.”

Madison Cox | Staff Photographer

Steve Angeli embraces pressure, struggle in ride back from Achilles injury

Four weeks into the 2025 season, Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli was leading the nation in passing yards. He was spearheading the Orange to their first-ever win in the unfriendly confines of Clemson’s Memorial Stadium. He was proving head coach Fran Brown struck gold quarterback-shopping in the transfer portal for the second straight year, following a record-breaking 2024 performance by Kyle McCord.

But that victory against the Tigers on Sept. 20 proved Pyrrhic. In the third quarter, Angeli went down injured and didn’t return for the rest of the game — or the season.

His left Achilles was torn.

Since the injury, Angeli has been determined to get back to full health. In the early stages of his recovery, bedridden at home in New Jersey, he watched The Dark Knight trilogy. He realized Bruce Wayne’s plight — suffering in an underground prison with a spinal injury and severe bruising — mirrored his own.

During his ongoing road back to full health, Angeli looked to famous athletes who also tore their Achilles, leaned on his family and teammates for support and rehabilitated with SU’s staff.

It’s all in an effort to return to save Syracuse — just like Batman saved Gotham.

Photo Collage by Ilana Zahavy | Presentation Director

‘OUR GAME’: Haudenosaunee push for IOC special approval to compete in lacrosse at 2028 Olympics

The Haudenosaunee, an Indigenous group whose territory spans New York, Quebec and Ontario, are the creators of lacrosse, the oldest sport in America. However, once the sport comes to the 2028 Summer Olympics, its creators might not be allowed to compete.

The International Olympic Committee says only countries with a National Olympic Committee (NOC) will be allowed to compete and recommends Haudenosaunee athletes compete for either the United States or Canada.

The Haudenosaunee have competed under their own flag at Men’s Lacrosse World Championships and are advocating for special approval from the IOC, which would grant them sovereign nation representation and the chance to play lacrosse at the Los Angeles Olympics.

Inclusion in the LA Games would be a necessary step to mend Indigenous relations and honor a sport they created around 1100 AD to stop conflict and show gratitude to The Creator, said Rex Lyons, a member of the Onondaga Nation’s Eel Clan.

“It’s our sport, it’s our gift to the world, and this is not like we’re looking for charity either. We’re third in the world in international competition, and we’re a full-fledged member of World Lacrosse as an independent, sovereign nation,” he said. “The challenge is that the IOC is its own entity. They don’t really answer to anybody.”

Collage by Ilana Zahavy | Presentation Director

ONE-AND-IMMORTAL: Carmelo Anthony’s Hall of Fame career began with transcendent SU one-and-done

Carmelo Anthony arrived at Syracuse as a mystery and left as a legend. When he stepped on campus, some questioned his body. Others wondered if the hype would translate. One season later, he left a national champion, a program savior and a name etched into college basketball history.

That lone year in central New York didn’t just deliver Syracuse its first national title in 2003; it changed the sport. Carmelo became the blueprint for the modern one-and-done, proving a freshman could take over, win big and move on.

Two decades and a 19-year NBA career later, that run still defines him. And when Carmelo was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in September, it was clear where the foundation was poured: one unforgettable season in Syracuse that launched everything that followed.

“When Melo did what he did, I think not only did it change the way maybe the NBA was a little bit doing things, I think it probably motivated a generation right below us to be like, ‘I want to do that,’” said Gerry McNamara, Carmelo’s teammate on that national-championship-winning team.

Collage by Cole Ross | Senior Staff Designer

LIVING LEGACY: Kiyan Anthony isn’t chasing Carmelo’s legacy — he’s building his own

Kiyan followed his father’s footsteps to Syracuse, choosing the program that launched Carmelo into basketball history. But he didn’t come to relive the past. He came to build something of his own.

That isn’t easy when your father is a Hall of Famer and your mother, La La Anthony, is a distinguished actress, producer and TV personality. Kiyan arrived on campus with 1.1 million Instagram followers, national attention and expectations that have followed him since childhood. His every move has been watched. The hype has been loud. Some days, he just wants to escape it — to be an 18-year-old who plays video games and hoops, not a headline.

Through it all, Carmelo never controlled the path. He didn’t steer Kiyan’s decisions. He just showed up every morning at 6 a.m., waking Kiyan for workouts, then stepped back and let his son choose Syracuse on his own terms.

Now, under the same rafters where his father’s No. 15 hangs, Kiyan is stepping into the spotlight to build his own legacy.

“You talk about legacy, and you talk about family dynamics, you talk about passing things on down to your family, to your kids. And this is something that we passing, and we passing the baton to him,” Carmelo told The Daily Orange. “And now whatever he do with it, he do with it, and that’s on him.”

Design by Ilana Zahavy | Presentation Director

‘FREE SPIRIT’: With an exuberant personality, Tiana Mangakahia lived her life to the fullest

Tiana Mangakahia was fiery, carefree and brilliant on the basketball court, finishing her Syracuse career as the program’s all-time assists leader and one of the most beloved players to ever don the jersey.

But Mangakahia’s collegiate career was interrupted in 2019 by a Stage 2 breast cancer diagnosis. She fought the insidious disease, was declared cancer-free and finished her collegiate career with the Orange, then chased her professional dreams across the world. When her cancer returned in 2023 — this time metastatic — she refused to let it define her ending.

“Cancer really, really scares me. But not living my life actually scares me more,” Mangakahia would often tell her parents.

Mangakahia died on Sept. 11. She was 30.

Even when she could no longer play, Mangakahia served as an assistant coach for the Sydney Flames in her native Australia, mentoring point guards while grappling with her diagnosis. She lived a life of courage, connection and a radiant free spirit.

“I have two daughters, and if they both turned out like her, I’d be the happiest dad in the world,” former SU assistant coach John Marcum said. “She was the best part of (humanity).”

Photograph collage by Cole Ross | Senior Staff Designer

ORANGE ICON: How Emma Ward cemented her legacy as an all-time great at Syracuse

How did Emma Ward become a Syracuse women’s lacrosse icon? By returning to the Orange for a fifth season in 2025, her legacy already secured. By serving as a “Mama Bear” for the youthful SU team last season. By battling back from two ACL tears and other debilitating injuries throughout her career. By becoming the third player in program history to have over 150 career goals and assists and setting the program record with 169 assists.

Ward embraced the weight of her role. She took constant stick-checks from opponents, spurring her to apply for a waiver to wear a more protective male glove. She donned No. 44, a number synonymous with other Orange legends. She played like a mix of a bull and a ballerina, equal parts strong and creative.

Ward’s interest in Syracuse started in middle school, when she trained with SU star Nicole Levy. She was fascinated by the powerhouse in upstate New York and committed to then-head coach Gary Gait. Now, Ward leaves as one of the best players to come through the vaunted women’s lacrosse program. She’s now one of those superstar players young girls will look to emulate.

“Five years have literally flown by, and early on, it’s, ‘What do you want to be remembered as? What do you want to accomplish?’” Ward said. “When I came here my freshman year, I couldn’t have imagined having the career that I’ve had.”

Collage by Leonardo Eriman | Senior Staff Photographer

ALWAYS A COBRA: Set to close at end of year, Bishop Grimes leaves lasting athletic legacy

When Bishop Grimes — a private Roman Catholic school in East Syracuse — announced its closure at the end of the 2024-25 academic year, it left behind many stories from its 59 years. Many of those memories came from representing Bishop Grimes at an athletic level and making memories playing sports for the Cobras on and off the field.

The recollections range from Grimes serving as a launchpad to the collegiate level, making friends, building community, continuing family traditions, finding a home amid immigration. As the school closed, alumni — no matter how many years ago they graduated or how seriously they played sports — shared positive memories of their times at Grimes.

“At the end of the day, we’ll always still be a community,” former Grimes lacrosse and soccer player Rhonee Shea Pal said. “I fully believe that (Bishop Grimes) made boys and girls into men and women.”

Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer

MYSTERY MAN: John Mullen’s unorthodox routine prepared him to be SU’s star faceoff man

John Mullen doesn’t like the spotlight. He wears black. He works out in the dead of night or the wee hours of the morning. He’s not garrulous.

But, Mullen has the spotlight when he hits the lacrosse field. He’s SU’s faceoff man, an integral position. His role requires all eyes to cast on him when he squares off with an opponent. Winning the faceoff means claiming possession for SU to give it more scoring opportunities in the wafer-thin margins of the sport. And Mullen has received deserved attention: He’s one of the best at what he does in the country.

To reach this point, Mullen pushed himself to the limit on his runs and in the gym to transform his body. He sought out YouTube videos from bodybuilders, extreme athletes and faceoff coaches. The result is a physically imposing force at the faceoff X. No words necessary. Just watch him win draw after draw for Syracuse.

Collage by Ilana Zahavy | Presentation Director

MAC’S MOMENT: Former players recount defining moments along Ian McIntyre’s path to SU wins record

Syracuse men’s soccer has become a national powerhouse. It won the national championship in 2022. It has alumni in the professional ranks competing in the most prestigious competitions in the sport. It’s a frequent contender in the stacked Atlantic Coast Conference.

The man behind the Orange’s ascendance is head coach Ian McIntyre. The Englishman became the program’s winningest coach when he secured his 142nd victory against Colgate in October. In his 16th season at the helm, McIntyre has built an unbreakable culture with Syracuse. The players may change. But the result remains similar: he wins.

Men’s soccer alumni from across the 53-year-old’s tenure reflect that standard. So, when SU reached the pinnacle of college soccer in 2022, downing Indiana in the College Cup on penalties, McIntyre was phlegmatic. But in the locker room, the head coach showcased more emotion. His work to transform the Orange into a men’s soccer power had paid off. And with McIntyre at the helm, they continue to inhabit the same heights.

Published on December 31, 2025 at 1:07 pm