Biggest Fan of the Big East Challenge 7: Garden 30

The center of Big East and basketball history.

The Big East is the greatest basketball conference in all of college sports.  Generations of players have played at the historic institutions that make up the conference, but only a handful of names have become legendary and only a select few, through pure will and strength, have been able to become to leave their legacies behind at the home of the Big East tournament and the home of basketball, Madison Square Garden.

Time to buckle up for this epic challenge.

For this challenge, Volvo, in partnership with the Big East Championship, has challenged us to take part in the Garden 30 (#Garden30) Challenge.  In honor of this contest, Volvo and the Big East want us to select 10 of the greatest teams, 10 of the greatest players, and 10 of the greatest moments in league history.  With so much incredible history, this may one the most challenging contest yet, but the players, teams, and moments selected are without question the pure essence of the Big East (buckle up, this is going to be a trip down memory road). 

To start the Garden 30 challenge from Volvo, I'll start with ten of the greatest players to ever suit for the Big East and their respective teams.  There have been countless names and stories to take the court for the Big East, but these are ten of the greatest that will be remembered for the ages.

10) Dominique Jones (07-10) USF - USF is new to the Big East and does not have the long histories that the other programs do, but one player helped put USF on the map, Dominique Jones. The 6'4" guard put USF on his back during the 2009-2010 season, leading the Bulls to a program best (since joining the Big East) 20-win season and notched 9 conference wins, including huge wins against Pitt and Georgetown.  During his career, he averaged 18.9 points per game and scored a career high 46-points against Providence.

9) Kemba Walker (08-11) UCONN - Walker became Mr. Everything for the Huskies during their impressive 2010-2011 title run.  The 6'1" guard shot down the nets during the Big East tournament and led the Huskies to the Big Dance.  From there, he led his team to the National Championship, being named 1st team all American in the process.  He scored a program record 965 points during that season, finishing his career averaging 16.1 points per game and 4.1 assists per game.

7. Chris Mullins (81-85) St. John's - Mullins, the 6'6" small forward led St. John's to new heights during his time with the Red Storm and set some impressive records along the way.  He scored 2440 points in his 4 years, shooting 50% from the floor. The most impressive stat that many forget is that he scored all these points before the 3-point line was added!  This means his point total could be even higher.

6. Kerry Kittles (92-96) Villanova -  Kittles is one of the most legendary players in Big East history.  The hot shooting guard set various records with Wildcats during his career.  He averaged 18.9 points per game (scored 2243 points over his entire career) and 5.9 rebounds per game.  He was named player of the year in 1995 and scorched a lot of nets in the process.

5. Carmelo Anthony (02-03) Syracuse - It's hard to place a one year player on the list of the all time greats, but Carmelo's one season was one for the record books.  The 6'8" forward averaged 22.8 points per game and 10 rebounds per game, totaling 22 double doubles (NCAA record to this day) and led the Orange to a National Title.  Very few, if ever any, will ever make an impact like Carmelo did in his one season at Syracuse.

Only one man could earn the name "Rip"

4. Richard "Rip" Hamilton (96-99) UCONN - The 6'7" Huskies guard took over the Big East during his career.  Rip finished his career averaging 19.8 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game.  Rip earned his nickname while dominating the Big East, sinking shots against everyone he faced, no matter who tried to put a hand in his face (sort of rhythms).  He finished his career with 1046 points in league play, making him one of the most dominating players to ever suit up.

3. Allen Iverson (94-96) Georgetown - One of the greatest players in league history, A.I., The Answer, took over the league, becoming one of the greatest pure scorers to ever suit up and one of the most relentless defenders as well.  He finished his career averaging 23 points per game and 3.2 steals per game, becoming a big time shooter and one of the toughest defenders in league memory.  The Answer will never be forgotten in Big East history. 

The purest jump shot ever.

2. Ray Allen (93-96) UCONN - The 6'5" guard out of UCONN cemented his legacy as one of the purest shooters to ever step on the court (no one can match his shot, end of story).  Allen finished his career averaging 19 points per game and 6 rebounds per game, drilling everything from beyond the arch (finished 20th all time in 3-point percentage).  Allen was one of the most athletic players to ever play in the Big East and will forever be remembered for the ages. 

No question who is the greatest, enjoy the music and enjoy the highlight of domination.

1. Patrick Ewing (81-85) Georgetown - When you think of the Big East, the first name to come to mind is the greatest player in league history, Patrick Ewing.  The big man in the middle became one of the greatest players in college basketball and pro basketball.  The 7' center averaged 15.3 points per game, 9.2 rebounds per game, and 3.4 blocks per game over his career.  He is the first Big East player named to the National Basketball Hall of Fame.  Patrick Ewing, without question, is the greatest basketball player to ever play in the Big East. 


The names of individuals are remembered, but basketball is a team game and the Big East has had historic teams throughout the years.  For the second part of the challenge, I had to decide, through all the years of history, which were the top ten teams in Big East history.  While not an easy task, the list below sums up the greatness of the Big East.

10. 2009-2010 USF - While they are not champions, for our brief history in the Big East, this team is the best on yet.  They finished the season at 20-13 (9-9) including upset wins over Pitt, UCONN, and Georgetown and earned a bid to the NIT.  For a team and program that was written off before the start of that season, they left their mark in history.

9. 1982-1983 St. John's - The Red Storm made their presence known as they battled through the Big East tournament, knocking off former Big East foe Boston College in the championship game, 85 to 77.  Small forward Chris Mullins put the team on his back as he captured the MVP of the tournament and cemented his legacy as one of the greatest shooters in league history (scored all his points before the 3-point line was introduced to college basketball too!)

8. 1988-1989 Seton Hall - Led by Coach PJ Carlesimo, the Pirates finished the season with a record of 31-7 and made it all the way to the National Championship, where they fell to Michigan 79 to 80 in overtime.  A team that no one considered for the title, the Pirates proved everyone wrong as they beat up the Big East and battled all their way to the title game.

7. 2010-2011 UCONN - The Huskies finished the regular season as the 9th seed in the Big East tournament.  Most had written them off as a low seed to the NCAA tournament and would probably lose in the opening or second round, the so called "experts" were wrong.  Guard Kemba Walker caught fire, leading the Huskies on their historic 5 wins in 5 days for the Big East Tournament trophy.  From there, they kept the momentum going as the held off Butler to win the National Title.

6. 1983-1984 Georgetown - The Hoyas, led by Patrick Ewing, won the national championship in dominating fashion.  The Hoyas, considered a strong team at the time, put themselves on the map and made Ewing a household name before they returned to the title game the next year, but there was another team waiting for them from the Big East that made its own history.

5. 1984-1985 Villanova - The Wildcats, not even ranked as they headed into the NCAA tournament went on a magical run that led them with a showdown with the top ranked Hoyas of Georgetown.  On April Fool's Day (can't make that up) Nova upset the Hoyas in what is still considered one of the biggest upsets in college basketball history.  A team anchored by Patrick Ewing was defeated by a Nova team that many thought wouldn't last till half time.

4. 1988-1989 Georgetown - The Hoyas, just a handful of seasons after the great Ewing left to the NBA, were once again dominating the Big East, but this time, they had two giants in the paint. Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo controlled the paint, creating the "rejection row" as they made their way to win the Big East regular season title.

3. 2003-2004 UCONN - The Huskies have had several legendary teams and this was one of their best.  The Huskies, led by Ben Gordon and Emeka Ofakor, battled through the NCAA tournament to win the National Championship.  While the men's team was winning, the women's team was also winning their National Championship, making it the first time that both the men's and women's program had both won the title in the same season.

2. 1998-1999 UCONN - The Huskies continued to make their mark in history as they captured another national title.  This team, led by Richard "Rip" Hamilton, played its Final Four game right here in my neighborhood, at Tropicana Field, before heading to win the National Championship.  Very few teams have been able to repeat as champions and with the consistency that UCONN does.

1. 2002-2003 Syracuse - One of the most exciting teams to ever watch.  The Orange, after years of greatness, won their National Championship.  Sharp shooting Gerry McNamara, inside monster Hakeem Warrick, and the freshman phenom Carmelo Anthony, led the Orange on a historic run as they dominated everyone and made their way to the title game.  Each player contributed, whether it was McNamara drilling threes, Warrick slamming down dunks, or Carmelo totaling double doubles every night, this Orange team is arguably the best team to ever play in Big East history.


When you have the greatest players and the greatest teams competing in the toughest conference, some of the greatest moments in basketball history are bound to happen.  The third and final portion of the Garden 30 challenge is to rank the top ten moments in Big East history.  These moments are thrilling, exciting, and jaw dropping, just like driving an S60.  So buckle up for these and see if you agree with these moments.

Sorry Miggy, this moment is on my top 10 list, for a USF fans, this was beyond epic!

10. USF upsets Villanova 70 to 69 in 2010-2011 Big East tournament opening round - This moment has to be on my list.  USF had just 9 wins entering the game and most had written them off and penciled Villanova in for the next round.  The Bulls, however, had other plans.  Shaun Noriega had 6 3-pointers and a last second steal and layup by Anthony Crater pulled off the crazy upset for the Bulls who shocked Villanova and the Big East community.

9. Syracuse wins the 2003 National Championship - The Orange had been a powerful and successful program for years, but they reached their ultimate goal in 2003 as they claimed the title.  Led by Carmelo Anthony and his 22.1 points per game average (as a freshman) the Orange went on to beat the Kansas Jayhawks and claim another title for the best basketball conference in the world.

Who needs the 3-point, Mullin could shoot anywhere, anytime as the Red Storm made it's name known. 

8. St. John's wins the 1983 Big East tournament in upset fashion - The Red Storm, playing in their city, were able to get the huge tournament win, the first in program history.  Small forward Chris Mullin led the charge as they upset the top seed Boston College for the tournament win.  Mullin became a legend in the league and SJU made their mark in the league.

The shirt says it all for Gerry.

7. Gerry McNamara puts the Orange on his back in 2006 tournament - The Orange seem to play their best on the biggest stage.  In 2006, most critics that the Orange were overrated and that Gerry McNamara was not a super star in the league, just what he wanted to hear.  McNamara put the Orange on his back as the Cuse beat everyone down and went on to win the Big East championship, leaving the lasting image of McNamara wearing the "overrated" shirt as they stood atop the league.

6. Ray Allen leads Huskies Allen Iverson in 1996 - Two of the greatest players in league history squared off in this epic game, matching Ray Allen against the high flying Allen Iverson.  The Huskies had to battle back from 10-points down to get ahead o AI and hold on for the huge win.  Allen, one of the league's best shooters, cemented his legacy as a legendary player in the Big East while another star, Iverson, missed the last shot that could have won the game.

Patrick Ewing and company dominated everyone on their way to the title. 

5. 1983-1984 Georgetown team wins the National Championship - Led by the Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing, the Hoyas dominated everyone as they went on to win the National Championship and truly put not only the Georgetown program on the map, but the Big East as a dominate force in the basketball world. Ewing, leading a strong defensive presence, made his name a household one as the Hoyas proved they were among the elite.

4. UCONN holds off Pitt for the Big East Tournament title in 2002 - The first of three meetings between the two programs, the Huskies had to go to double overtime to hold on for the tournament title.  Caron Butler hit the go-ahead bucket to give the Huskies the lead (Taliek Brown added a dramatic buzzer beater to seal the deal) and they held on to win the title and put their stamp on the tournament as one of the most dominate programs in the Big East.

Still considered one of the greatest upsets in basketball history.

3. Villanova shocks Georgetown for the National Championship in 1985 - The Hoyas were the top seed (35-2) and had Patrick Ewing on their side (outscored everyone in the tournament by 16 points on average), everything was going their way.  Then comes Villanova, a lower seed and a team that many thought shouldn't stand a chance (they were the 8th seed) but Ed Pickney and crew didn't see it that way.  The Wildcats shocked the world by beating Georgetown and claiming the National Title, the last game before the shot clock era began in college hoops!

2. Kemba Walker takes over New York in 2011 - The Huskies, a team that finished in 9th place in the regular season, put on a show in the tournament.  Kemba Walker put on a show for 5 straight nights at Madison Square Garden as the Huskies won the tournament and went on to win the National Championship over the upstart Butler team.  Those 5 nights will forever be remembered for the heroics of Kemba Walker.

1. Syracuse beats UCONN 127 to 117 in 6 epic overtimes - Just watching this game would leave you out of breath.  The Orange and Huskies put on a show for the ages in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament.  The two powers traded blows the entire game before the Orange, led by Jonny Flynn's 34-effort were able to seal the deal and leave their lasting mark in Big East lore.

*Takes a deep breath* Well Big East fans, there you have it, the Garden 30 epic coverage.  From this list, you can see the top ten players, top ten teams, and more importantly, the top ten teams of all time in the Big East.  The Big East is full of history, full of amazing moments and remarkable players, narrowing it down to ten moments on each side is very hard to do and almost unfair (so much history for a top ten list).  Yet, when it comes down to it, these are the greatest.  So what do you think USF fans, do you think this is close to the best in the league history or are there other moments, players, or teams that are better or should be considered?  Share your thoughts and make sure to use the hashtag #Garden30 when chatting about it!