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Anthony declares for NBA Draft
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This is business, he told himself as he nonchalantly glanced at
his cell phone and swaggered into a room full of reporters.
He’d tell them he was going pro. Then he’d smile and
laugh until he left the room glowing. This would be a press
conference Carmelo Anthony style: Fun and lighthearted.
Sporting his trademark orange headband, he sat down next to two
of his coaches and looked at the 14 news cameras, some waiting to
broadcast his decision live.
“I won’t be coming back to Syracuse next
year,” Anthony said. Basketball would become business now, he
explained.
Then he cried.
Carmelo Anthony – an 18-year-old freshman so audacious he
guaranteed a Final Four berth and led his team to a national
championship – finally folded emotionally Thursday as he
announced he’d leave Syracuse for the NBA.
For at least a few moments, the Syracuse men’s basketball
community seemed to fold with him. Head coach Jim Boeheim and
assistant coach Troy Weaver both cried at Anthony’s side
during his announcement. Anthony’s teammates – four of
them attended – kept their eyes glued to the floor.
“It felt kind of like a funeral,” said Billy Edelin,
Anthony’s teammate and roommate. “The whole atmosphere
just seemed so sad. It was almost like depression just sort of
spread through the room.”
Odd, considering the press conference started with
Anthony’s smile and Boeheim claiming, “This is a very
happy day for Syracuse basketball.” Odder still since Anthony
never showed anything but carefree joy during the season.
He averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds. He won National Freshman
of the Year and Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. He
helped Syracuse win 30 games and its first-ever national title, all
while saying “the Big East isn’t really that hard for
me” or “sometimes college basketball seems
easy.”
He walked with a swagger well-earned. He signed autographs on
the Syracuse Quad and at fraternity parties. And he always
smiled.
“Nobody else I know is so comfortable in the
spotlight,” Steve Smith, Anthony’s high school coach at
Oak Hill Academy, said earlier this year. “He’ll just
soak everything in. He’ll take all the praise and prove he
deserves it.”
“First of all, I really don’t want to leave to be
honest with you, but that’s another story right now,”
Anthony said, choking back tears. “It’s a tough
decision for me to make.”
“My teammates brought me in for one year. We were really
like a family out there. I’m going to miss them so
much.”
In terms of his draft status, Anthony could hardly be hotter. He
likely will be the No. 3 pick in the NBA Draft, held at Madison
Square Garden on June 26. Last year’s third pick, Mike
Dunleavy of Duke, signed a contract that paid him about $2.6
million in his rookie year.
“I have to move on,” Anthony said, “because
there’s really nothing more I could get out of
college.”
Eli Saslow, Daily Orange (Syracuse U.)
