Incredibly sad news for Cuse nation. I'll remember him as being a major disappointment as a freshman but completely transforming his game and body into a 1st round pick in 2012. He showed up as a McDonald's All-American freshman overweight and two steps too slow on defense. He was Boeheim's token doghouse member of the 2010-2011 team. He used it as motivation and dedicated himself that offseason, showing up a completely new player. I was at the SU midnight madness in November 2011 and I barely recognized him. He slimmed down nearly 30 lbs and was sprinting up and down the court, sometimes outrunning our NBA guards MCW and Waiters. He was running down the court catching alley-oops and blocking everything within 4 feet of the hoop. I turned to my friend and said, "FAB is going to be nasty this season, and SU will be a #1 seed." Although the season ended in a disappointing loss to Ohio State (Sullinger/Craft/Beaufort/Thomas) in the Elite 8, Fab was a huge reason that season was a great 4 months. Watching him and Drummond match up in the Dome was a big guy matchup I haven't seen in person since. Not every McD AA or Big East Defensive POY or First Rounder will pan out, but he should be remembered for anchoring a 30-1 regular season (the 1 loss was at Notre Dame during his suspension). I think SU was 28-0 with Fab in the lineup.
RIP Big Fella