Three days before 7-foot-2 center Paschal Chukwu confirmed he would transfer from Providence College to Syracuse, former SU center Rakeem Christmas was selected 36th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft.
Christmas being drafted at all was a serious testament not only to him, but to Syracuse's coaching staff. Unlike with Chris McCullough, who was regarded as a potential lottery pick before he came to SU, Christmas developed over four years into an NBA prospect under the guidance of coaches Jim Boeheim and Mike Hopkins.
Now, Boeheim and Hopkins will hope they can mold something similar out of Chukwu, their newest big man.