Billy Edelin was an enigmatic figure in Syracuse basketball history, but he also played key roles on and off the court in SU's only NCAA championship. Edelin played on the 2003 team that won the national title. He also was a crucial recruit. He was a big-time player at Oak Hill Academy, but more importantly, when Syracuse got Edelin, it also got the inside track to another recruit named Carmelo Anthony. Anthony knew Edelin and wanted to play with the steady, pass-first point guard.
Gerry McNamara's importance as a recruit wasn't because he was a Top 10 recruit or opened up a new area of recruiting for the school or helped the university hire a future Hall of Fame coach.