Pistons hire notable ex-NCAA champion as scout

Jan 10, 2020; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams against the Orlando Magic at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Detroit Pistons famously passed on Carmelo Anthony in the 2003 NBA Draft, but now they are hiring one of Anthony’s former college teammates.

Mike Waters of the Post-Standard reports this week that the Pistons have hired ex-Syracuse star Hakim Warrick. The 41-year-old Warrick will be serving as a scout for Detroit.

Warrick is best known for the important role he played on Syracuse’s 2003 national championship team. He averaged 14.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game as a starter that season and even got a game-sealing block on Kansas guard Michael Lee’s potential game-tying three-point try in the NCAA title game. Warrick was then picked in the first round by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2005 (No. 19 overall) and spent eight years in the NBA with six different teams before going on to play overseas.

The Pistons, who just kicked off a new era under head coaching hire Monty Williams, are no strangers to blasts from the past. Just last year, they hired another former player who had his heyday in the 2000s as well.