Since they threw the balls out the first day of practice, Jim Boeheim has been begging, pleading and praying for somebody on the Syracuse men’s basketball team to help out Gerry McNamara and Hakim Warrick in the scoring department.

But what if the player Boeheim has been looking for isn’t Josh Pace or Billy Edelin? What if it wasn’t a sophomore or Craig Forth?

What if it was Carmelo Anthony?

Yes, what would life be like if Anthony had ditched ‘Melo Bars for college bars, Fifth Avenue for Marshall Street, the NBA for Syracuse? It’s easy to forget that Anthony, arguably one the most popular faces in the NBA, would be a junior at SU if he was just another history major.

Imagine if Anthony had shocked the sports world, eschewed instant fame and fortune and remained an Orangeman in 2003.

Actually, don’t bother. Here’s a glimpse of how the last few years would have gone if Anthony stuck around.

Spring 2003-Fall 2003

Shortly after Anthony’s announcement to stay in school, a seemingly unfounded rumor turns out to be true. To play with Anthony, his good friend from the high school circuit, LeBron James returns his throwback jerseys and signs a letter of intent to play with Syracuse. After weeks of hand wringing and squabbles with the NCAA, James is permitted to play.

Drafting first in the NBA Draft, Cleveland makes the no-brainer selection of Darko Milicic with the first pick. The Cavaliers finish 6-76, the worst record in NBA history.

2003-2004 season

With a starting lineup of Edelin, McNamara, Warrick, Anthony and LeBron, the Orange wins its second straight national title. Syracuse finishes the regular season 27-0 and goes wire-to-wire as No. 1, beating opponents by an average of 18.6 points per game. Anthony averages 31 points, James averages 22 and Ronneil Herron sees the floor in 19 games.

Playing in a lineup with fellow Oak Hill Academy alum Anthony, Edelin discovers inner peace, plays in all 36 of the Orange’s games and wins the team award for ‘Most Reliable Player.’

As a No. 1 seed, Syracuse storms to the national title game, where it meets Connecticut. Emeka Okafor scores 24 points, but LeBron and Anthony combine for 70 as Syracuse wins, 104-70, to capture its second straight national championship and a 36-0 record.

Off-season

After being spotted driving a Hummer on Marshall Street, James is forced to declare for the NBA Draft, where he will be the sure-fire first pick.

Anthony plans on following his buddy to the pros, but gets wind of SU’s new uniforms. Once he sees the logo, he announces he’ll return for his junior year. ‘That S – it’s just so pointy,’ he says. ‘I love it!’ His jersey immediately becomes the best seller in the nation.

Enticed by the chance to play with Anthony, Rudy Gay signs with SU instead of Connecticut. His jersey immediately becomes the worst seller in the nation.

In an effort to save Konrard’s, his favorite bar, Anthony and some of his, um, ‘associates’ release an underground video entitled ‘Stop Raidin’,’ in which he mockingly threatens to ‘put a hit out’ on the head of Shannon Trice, the mastermind behind Operation Prevent. Suspiciously, the raids on Konrad’s stop, and students still enjoy $2 pitchers every Friday.

Hundreds of miles away in New York City, MTV personality LaLa Vasquez goes to and leaves a party without meeting any tall, hunky basketball players.

This season

With a starting lineup of Anthony, Warrick, McNamara, Edelin and Forth, Syracuse loses just one game in the regular season. Behind Ben Gordon and Emeka Okafor – both of whom returned to UConn for one last shot at a national title – the Huskies beat Syracuse and snap its 65-game winning streak. Anthony vows he has lost his last game, then averages 40 points the rest of the season.

After scoring 32 points in leading Syracuse over North Carolina in the national championship – SU’s third in a row – and cementing SU’s spot as the greatest post-Wooden dynasty, Anthony calls it a career, announcing his plans to turn pro.

Though he hasn’t earned his degree – which he swears he’ll return for – Anthony says that he cherished his final two seasons at SU, the time he got to spend with his close friend Warrick and the place in history he and his teammates earned.

Plus, when he comes back to campus, he can go to Konrad’s.