Danny Schayes was a talented center who started for Syracuse his senior season. He was the son of NBA Hall of Famer and the NBA's Syracuse Nationals legend Dolph Schayes.

Schayes grew up in the Syracuse area playing for Jamesville-DeWitt. He was an extremely gifted and disciplined player, fundamentally sound in all areas of the game, which was extremely unusual for a player of his size (6’11”). Unfortunately for Schayes, Syracuse had several very talented big men established on the team when he arrived. Roosevelt Bouie and Louis Orr were firmly entrenched in the two big men roles. Coach Jim Boeheim occasionally tried to play Schayes on the court at the same time as Bouie and Orr, but the combination of the three big men did not work well. Instead, Schayes was a valuable sixth man his first three years.

Schayes senior year saw the departure of Orr and Bouie, and Schayes was then the starting center. He was a strong rebounder and a very good passer from the top of the key. Schayes had an excellent mid range jump shot, and was a excellent free throw shooter. He would lead the team in scoring and rebounding, earning first team Big East honors, All-American honors, and academic All-American honors. In a road game against Detroit, Schayes would shoot 11 of 13 from the floor for a career high 33 points.

Schayes was drafted in the first round of the 1981 NBA draft, the 13th overall pick, by the Utah Jazz. He would go on to an eighteen year career in the NBA. Though not as athletic as many big men in the game, he was an extremely intelligent player, and that combined with his strong fundamentals made him a valuable part of teams. Over his career he would alternate as a starter or a valuable reserve, but consistently contributed to his teams. His best season was 1987-88, where he averaged 13.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, shot 54% from the floor and 84% from the free throw line. During the playoffs that season he average 16.4 points per game.

Over his career he would play for the Utah Jazz (1981-1983), Denver Nuggets (1983-1990), Milwaukee Bucks (1990-1994), Los Angeles Lakers (1994), Phoenix Suns (1994-1995), Miami Heat (1995-1996), Orlando Magic (1996-1998) and Minnesota Timberwolves (1999). His teams made the playoffs twelve times, and he played in 69 playoff games.

He would play more seasons and more games in the NBA than any other Syracuse player. Though only a starter for one season at Syracuse, he was named to the school's All Century Team in 2000. He was honored as a Syracuse Letterwinner of Distinction in 2010.

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