Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center Dedication Ceremony Transcript
Master of Ceremonies Matt Park
“Good afternoon everyone, what a glorious day we have to celebrate here today. I’d like to welcome all the friends of the program that were able to make it for what is truly a landmark day in the history of the Syracuse University men’s and women’s basketball programs, the athletic department in general and on this campus.
“We meet today almost exactly two years after the groundbreaking just behind us, to honor and thank a former student-athlete and countless others who made the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center a reality. We will also unveil today a building that all involved with Syracuse University athletics and all of you should be very proud of.
“Let me introduce everyone gathered here on the podium. First our fourth-year head women’s basketball coach Quentin Hillsman, the Hall of Fame men’s basketball head coach Jim Boeheim, the Director of Athletics at Syracuse University Dr. Daryl Gross and in from L.A. overnight but now a resident of Denver as you’re all aware, our guest of honor, the 2003 All-American, a national champion and Final Four Most Outstanding Player, Carmelo Anthony. To get our program started I’d like to first welcome Dr. Daryl Gross.”
Director of Athletics Dr. Daryl Gross
“Thank you Matt. I want to welcome everybody here to this great, wonderful occasion, on behalf of the athletic department, all of our coaches and staff, our great Chancellor Dr. Nancy Cantor, who is flying in right now and trying to make it over here, this is just a wonderful day.
“We ask our student-athletes to be champions on and off the field, that is one of our missions here and it’s very important, Carmelo Anthony epitomizes that. When you think about Carmelo being a gold medalist, Final Four Most Outstanding Player, national champion, and then what he does outside of basketball. He gives back to the community and donates his time, then as one of the few student-athletes in the country to make such a significant donation, to give back to his alma mater, that is outstanding, it’s wonderful and Carmelo we thank you.
“Carmelo’s gift was the impetus for this building and it was very significant. There are so many people here and we’re going to have an upcoming ceremony where we will recognize others that stepped up big time for us to make this a reality. This was a dream, as Matt Park said we had those shovels here two years ago and this project has gone so fast. There are so many people to thank, the construction company and SOM, Pete Sala and his crew, people that have been working on this around the clock, it has been unbelievable. We want to thank all of those supporters, family and friends who have donated so much of their resources to make this a possibility. In the past few years we have been able to do football fields and weight rooms, Carrier Dome improvements, hockey facilities and now Manley is going to open up for 16 other teams because of this facility.
"This is so deserved by Jim Boeheim, he has created a legacy in this town and has made us all proud. This is one of the elite programs in the United States and they deserve this facility. I am so happy for our Hall of Famer that he has this crown jewel. His loyal assistant Bernie Fine and all the coaches that have been here over the years and especially the players, have done so much to make Syracuse one of the elite programs.
“We have a saying around the athletic department that is be extraordinary. Carmelo stepped up to be extraordinary for Syracuse and for the future of all Orange. We have so much great momentum at this University right now we can’t even keep up with it. We have some good things going, but I really want to thank our donors, our supporters, Coach Boeheim and especially Carmelo Anthony, thank you very much.
Master of Ceremonies Matt Park
“Thank you Daryl, as you know, and as we will see when we get in the building, it is fabulously equipped in so many ways and that is true for both the men’s and women’s programs. To tell you about this is our head women’s basketball coach Quentin Hillsman.”
Women’s Basketball Head Coach Quentin Hillsman
“It is funny because when we first talked about the vision of having a practice facility, you just have to wait until that happens and today is finally here. First of all I’d like to thank Carmelo for his generosity and his gift to our programs. On the women’s side it is unheard of to have this kind of facility to house your program and to recruit out of. We’re very excited because it gives us a chance to compete at a championship level and it gives us a chance to do everything that this community deserves, to play on a big time level and to win on a consistent basis. So I want to thank Carmelo for his gift.
“The other thing which is really rare in this business is to have a coach like Coach Boeheim to welcome us into this building and to give us the same things that he gives his players. It is just breathtaking and sometimes you wonder how much more you can get and how much more a person can give. From my first day here Coach Boeheim has been very supportive and he has been there for me from day one. One thing he always talked about was the importance of getting top players and this facility will allow us to do that, so I thank Coach Boeheim for welcoming us into your building. Last but not least, I thank Dr. Gross, for his vision, (Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director) Scott Sidwell for his efforts, (Associate Athletics Director for Facility Operations) Pete Sala and (Senior Associate Director of Athletics/Chief Financial Officer) Rob Edson for all the things they do for our program, it is just extraordinary and we’re grateful for the opportunity to be here.”
Master of Ceremonies Matt Park
“Thank you Coach Q and good luck this season, practice will be starting for both the women’s and men’s programs in about three weeks. Next to join us here today is the man who will hold the figurative keys to the building, here at his alma mater he prepares for his 800th win inside it, he played on the dirt floors inside Manley and now he will coach on the sparkling floors in the Carmelo K. Anthony Center. The one and only Hall of Famer, Jim Boeheim."
Men’s Basketball Head Coach Jim Boeheim
“Another beautiful day in Syracuse, what are they always talking about? First of all, there are a lot of people to thank and I’m not going to do that, I’m going to thank a couple people. Dr. Daryl Gross our athletic director, without his vision, without him getting behind this project, it would not have been done. We’ve tried to get something like this going for many years and until Daryl came in there was no movement whatsoever. He gets a few slings and arrows once in a while and it’s time to put that away and start to realize the really good things that Daryl has done here, not just in the basketball area, but in a lot of areas, some that are not seen as much and are not as public. One of the reasons that we’re having a great recruiting year this year is our assistant coaches that work so hard and our own players that work so hard, but the fact that we’ve brought people into this building when it wasn’t even what it is today and how that made a difference. It was a tremendous difference and without Daryl and the Chancellor we would not be standing here today, we’d still be trying to get time in Manley Field House to practice, which you can’t do and expect to have a program that is in the top 10 in the country which is what we hope to do. I’d like to thank Daryl and the Chancellor to start out, without them it would not have happened.
“All the people that worked on this project, every time we came over here everyone that was working on this project was great. The construction manager was unbelievable; Pete Sala is absolutely the best at what he does. When you see these courts in here Murray Forth is probably the best at doing this of anyone in the country and he had a pretty good player for a son that helped us win that national championship. I see John Wallace out here, Gerry McNamara is behind me and Lazar Sims, the reason we’re here is because of all of those guys. It’s not the coach it is about those players and what they’ve done for this program throughout the years, I’ve been very fortunate to be associated with players like these guys and like the guys standing behind me. I know these girls are going to do great things, and Q is going to do great things in the future because of this building.
“The reason this building was built was Carmelo Anthony, it is not just about the money but it is about starting this project. It would have never started if Carmelo didn’t agree on that first day we asked him. My wife, sitting right down here, is the one responsible because she went up to Carmelo and asked him and the next day it was done. Without that happening we wouldn’t have this building. Nobody has ever given this kind of a gift as a player still playing the game, it is unbelievably important. What Carmelo has done here, what he has done in Baltimore, what he has done in Denver, to me that speaks volumes about what a guy he is. You see a negative here, a negative there that happens, but when you look at the body of work that somebody does and you look at a kid that still has 10 years left to play or more, and yet he has already given back in this community. He was here one year and he has helped us with this, he helped us with a project in the city and will continue to. I was in Baltimore where he has given millions of dollars already, that is what you have to measure somebody by. The fact that he is a great player, we’re very proud of that, that he was able to come here and help us do what we did, but what stands out in my mind is what he has given back to people that he has been associated with all his life. To me that tells me what Carmelo Anthony is and will always be special to us here in Syracuse and I’m grateful for him. Being with him in the Olympic program and how much pride he took in helping us bring back the gold medal, for us being here today, we’re here because of Carmelo Anthony. There are not many young men that can put a stamp on what he will do in the future because he will do much more. I’m just proud to have coached him and been lucky enough to bring him here to Syracuse so everyone could see him play, let’s bring him up here, Carmelo Anthony.”
Carmelo Anthony
“I’m going to keep this real short and sweet; I can’t top Coach Boeheim’s speech. I’ve been ready to cut this ribbon for about two years now.
“I’m not going to be able to thank everybody, but I’d like to thank some important people that helped with this project. John Chapple, Joyce Hergenhan, George and Cathy Hicker, Huey and Louise Phanstiel. I want to thank the Syracuse community for allowing me to come back here to my second home, I take great pride in this city. I want to thank the men’s basketball team and the women’s basketball team, Coach Boeheim and I were saying hopefully we can be in the top five recruiting class for both programs next year. Once again I just want to say thank you, I’m proud to be opening this building with my name on there and when I’m dead and gone this building will be here for generations after. Thank you, and let’s cut this ribbon.”
