[bringhub]Carmelo Anthony is one of the most decorated players in basketball history. Sure, he’s not yet hoisted the Larry O’Brien trophy, but the Baltimore (by way of Brooklyn) product has garnered just about every other accolade one could covet. Before becoming one of the most celebrated Olympic athletes of his time, Melo led the Syracuse Orangemen to their one and only National Championship back in 2003.
As Dick Vitale often alluded to, Carmelo was a freshman phenom. In his single year in the Big East, he led to Jim Boeheim coached Orangemen to a 30-5 record and their only national title in the school’s history. Melo, on an individual level, averaged 22.2 points on the year which earned him the consensus NCAA Freshman of the Year, Big East Freshman of the Year, and All Big East First Team honors.
Melo’s campaign at Syracuse rivals the best freshman season’s of all time. Culminating in a championship over the Kansas Jayhawks – which took place fifteen years to the day – Jordan Brand honors his towering accomplishment with the Air Jordan 9 “Mop Melo” edition. Aesthetically designed to ode the collegiate trophy Melo raised back in 2003, the special edition shoe also represents his favorite Air Jordan silhouette.
Take a first look at the “Mop Melo” 9’s and stay tuned for release details.
