Rony Seikaly Highlights - Syracuse University Basketball

Rony Seikaly is one of the greatest centers in Syracuse University basketball history. He is the the school's #2 all-time rebounder and #13 all-time scorer. Seikaly helped Syracuse to three Big East Championships (two Regular Season and one Tournament), four NCAA tournament bids and one Final Four appearance during his four-year stint in Orange. A native of Lebanon, Seikaly grew up in Greece and played high school basketball at the American School in Athens. He spent 2 1/2 years as an amateur in the Greek professional leagues before entering Syracuse University in 1983. After redshirting his first year, Seikaly made his SU debut in 1984 as the team's starting center. During Seikaly's first two seasons on the hill, his natural athleticism would give Orange fans a reason to be hopeful, as he showed potential as a highly effective rebounder and devastating shotblocker. Even as his inexperience and inconsistency would be apparent, he would still average over 10 points and nearly 8 rebounds per game as a sophomore. An early season injury threatened to derail his junior year, but Seikaly responded by establishing himself as one of the finest big men in the Big East Conference and the nation. Seikaly's emergence in his junior campaign would help lead the Orange to a 12-4 conference record and a Big East Regular Season championship, earning him a spot on the Second Team All Big East squad. In the third round of the NCAA Tournament, his 33 point effort against Florida would propel Syracuse to the Elite Eight, where Seikaly logged 26 points and 11 rebounds against the heavily favored North Carolina Tar Heels, sending the Orange to the Final Four. Although Syracuse would come up short in the National Championship game to Indiana by one point, Seikaly would average 23 points and 9 rebounds per game in his six tournament appearances. In his final season, Seikaly finished as the team's number one scorer and number two rebounder. He would lead Syracuse to the Big East Tournament championship, and was an Honorable Mention All American and Second Team All Big East pick. Seikaly would graduate as the second leading rebounder and fourth leading scorer in school history. Seikaly was named to the Syracuse University All Century Team in 2000, and his uniform (#4) was retired by Syracuse in 2007. Many thanks to http://www.orangehoops.org for biographical and statistical information. Music: 'If I Ruled The World (Instrumental Remix)' by Kurtis Blow (Harlem, NY) (1985)

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