Perfect Memorial to Pearl

It all felt perfect on Saturday afternoon. The Orange. The Hoyas. A 31-31 tie with 31 seconds to go in the first half. All the former teammates and Orange players in the Dome to honor Pearl. Then came halftime, and the reveal of the number 31 at center court. Well, not exactly at center court, a little bit off center to match up with the shot. Outlined in blue, filled in in Orange, right on top of the Block-S at midcourt, it seems perfect.

What makes the decal great is simple. It will keep the legacy of Pearl Washington alive. When you sit in the Dome, or watch a game on TV and see the new court. You’ll see some different shades of brown, the orange boardering, the Block-S, Jim Boeheim’s signature, and now Pearl’s number 31.

When you watch a basketball game anywhere, you notice some of these things. And most are commonplace. There’s always a big logo at midcourt. There’s usually someone’s name on the floor. But there isn’t usually a number on top of the logo at midcourt. This is unique.

And when young Orange fans are watching SU for the first time, it is something that might stick out to them. They might turn to their mom or dad or grandparent or whoever is watching the game with them and ask “Hey, why is there that 31?”

And then it allows for mom or dad or grandparent to explain who Pearl is. To tell the stories of when Pearl brought 30,000 people to the Dome. The story of why the number is slightly off center of the court. Why the number is there in the first place. About how one player changed the Syracuse program forever. His importance to the greatest basketball conference of all time.

The number allows for Pearl to live on in the minds of Syracuse fans forever. And it is a perfect tribute to someone so important to the Syracuse basketball program.