Derrick Coleman used to run home to watch Dwayne ‘Pearl’ Washington play for Syracuse against Georgetown. He considers Dave Bing his mentor. Sherman Douglas is his good friend. At halftime of SU’s 92-82 loss to Villanova on Sunday, Coleman joined their company in the rafters of the Carrier Dome.

Coleman’s No. 44 was honored, the sixth player in Syracuse history to receive the distinction. He was accompanied by family and former SU forward, Billy Owens.

‘This moment is more an appreciation and thanking (Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim) for letting me be a part of it,’ Coleman said. ‘It shows how great a coach he is to have guys like myself, Billy Owens, Sherman Douglas all come back.’

When the cover was taken off his banner at halftime, Coleman stood awed, watching his legacy officially be engrained in the Syracuse annals. He gave a speech to the sold-out Carrier Dome and admitted it brought him back to his Senior Day in 1990.

‘I got choked up,’ Coleman said. ‘I think about all the fun I had here. What happened to the Dunk Club? It’s been great to be a part of this university. Through the good and the bad, people at Syracuse always support me no matter what.’

Coleman had a prolific career at SU, earning All-American honors each of his four seasons. He helped lead the Orangemen to the 1987 national championship game, where they lost to Indiana in the final seconds. Syracuse reached the Sweet 16 in three of his four seasons.

Coleman’s name floods SU’s record books, where he’s second in points, first in starts, rebounds and free throws and third in blocks. He always has the distinction as the only player in Syracuse history to become the first overall selection in the NBA Draft.

Coleman’s NBA career was solid. He played for five teams in 15 seasons, averaging 14.58 points and 8.44 rebounds. He was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1991 and was an All-Star in 1994, his only All-Star Game appearance. But the 38-year old Coleman insists his best days were at SU.

‘I had more fun playing college basketball here at Syracuse University than I ever had in the NBA,’ Coleman said. ‘If you brought Billy (Owens) and the other guys in here, they’d tell you the same thing. There’s no comparison.

‘The friendships I made here at Syracuse University, they’re still my best friends today. It was going from a kid into a young adult. The best years of my life were spent here, playing in front of 33,000 and 34,000 people.’

Coach Mac?

Gerry McNamara was asked after the game about possibly returning to Syracuse as a coach someday. The senior was particularly glib about welcoming the opportunity if it ever presented itself.

‘I would hope they would accept me,’ McNamara said. ‘If I had an opportunity to be a part of this program, I would jump at it. I love Syracuse and I would love to be in that situation.’

Syracuse’s coaching staff is heavy on SU alums. Head coach Jim Boeheim graduated from SU in 1966. Associate head coach Bernie Fine graduated in 1967. Longtime assistant Mike Hopkins graduated in 1993.

McNamara cited Hopkins as a similar situation to his. Hopkins recruited McNamara, and the two developed a close bond. Both were especially known during their careers as tough players with a ‘coach on the court’ mentality.

McNamara said he hasn’t discussed returning to SU with Hopkins, although it’s a conversation he hopes to have.

‘They have such pride and such respect for the people and the players at Syracuse that it gushes out of them,’ McNamara said of Syracuse’s coaching staff. ‘I hope it is a conversation that we do talk about. I would like to be a part of this place for a long time. Maybe down the road it could happen.’

This and that …

McNamara became the Big East’s all-time leader in 3-pointers on his second of five conversions. His tally is at 183 career 3-pointers in conference games. … Villanova head coach Jay Wright earned his 100th win at VU on Sunday. The Wildcats tied for the Big East regular season championship in Wright’s fifth season at the school.

Published on March 5, 2006 at 12:00 pm