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Syracuse retires Felisha Legette-Jack's jersey

Legette-Jack is the woman at Syracuse to have her jersey retired. The ceremony was held Sunday at the Carrier Dome.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Syracuse announced on Wednesday that former basketball player Felisha Legette-Jack will be the first women's player to have her No. 33 jersey retired. 

Hailing from Syracuse, young Felisha Legette-Jack only had dreams of one day playing for the big orange.

"I was that young kid that looked up the hill that hoped one day that I get an opportunity to get up that hill," Legette-Jack said. "I just said maybe one day if I could play the game at a high level, they would chose me, and I could represent the Legette family up that hill."

And what Legette-Jack sets her sights on, she accomplishes.

She became one of the top players in New York and attended Syracuse for four years. She left there ranked eighth in program history with 1,526 points and fourth in rebounds at 927. She played there from 1984 to 1989.

Now 32 years later, a feat she never could of imagined happened, Syracuse named her as the woman to have her number retired. The ceremony was held Sunday at the Carrier Dome.

No. 33 will hang in the rafters with Legette-Jack name, finally making it up the hill.

Credit: Felisha Legette-Jack

"You know it an honor to represent Syracuse University. First, it's an honor to represent Syracuse. It means it's the beginning of something very special, that's going to continue to happen. Even though I'm the first, I shouldn't have been. There are so many that came before me. I am humbled by this," she said.

2 On Your Side's Ashley Holder asked Legette-Jack what this meant for women's college basketball players, for women who are still fighting for the respect men get it on the court.

"I think this going to show that there people that see us, and they don't see men's basketball, they see women's basketball. I think if we can get the appreciation for what the sport, really, is we will see more interest if you will for women's basketball," she said.

In the words of Kevin Garnett, anything is possible.

"I think its going to give other people that look like me that they can come become despite what people think of them or the fear that they have. If you keep going stranger things can happen. They can possibly see you at Syracuse housing authority one day and then the next day raise your numbers in the rafters," Legette-Jack said.

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