Sad news for Syracuse basketball: i want to leave
'I've been extremely lucky': Jim Boeheim officially leaves Syracuse after 47 years.
‘I’ve been extremely lucky’: Jim Boeheim officially leaves Syracuse after 47 years.
Jim Boeheim’s 47-year coaching stint at Syracuse came to an end on Wednesday, with the university announcing that Orange assistant Adrian Autry had been elevated to the position.
The announcement occurred less than three hours after Syracuse’s loss to Wake Forest in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, after which Boeheim hinted at retirement but stated that it would ultimately be up to the institution.
The school subsequently issued the following statement: “Today, as his 47th season of coaching his alma institution comes to an end, so does his illustrious career at Syracuse University. Associate Head Coach Adrian Autry ’94, one of Boeheim’s former players and longstanding assistant, has been appointed the program’s next head coach.”
Autry has been on Boeheim’s staff since 2011 and has served as assistant head coach since March 2017.
Boeheim, 78, has an official record of 1,015-441 over 47 seasons. Between 2004-07 and 2010-12 seasons, the NCAA took away 101 victories due to infractions.
Whether it was 1,015 or 1,116, only now-retired Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has more Division I victories than Boeheim.“As I’ve said from day one when I started working here, the university hired me, and it’s their choice what they want to do,” Boeheim said Wednesday afternoon. “I always have the choice of retirement, but it’s their decision as to whether I coach or not. It always has been. Again, I’ve been very lucky to be able to coach my college team, to play and then be an assistant coach and then a head coach, never having to leave Syracuse. It’s a great university.”
Boeheim’s final news conference was perplexing, with him hinting at retirement but yet implying a desire to return.
Clarity arrived not long after. For the first time since 1976, someone other than Boeheim is the Orange’s head coach.
“There is no doubt in my mind that without Jim Boeheim, Syracuse Basketball would not be the powerhouse program it is today,” Chancellor Kent Syverud said in a school statement. “Jim has invested and dedicated the majority of his life to building this program, developing generations of student-athletes, and proudly representing his alma mater.” I express my heartfelt thanks and admiration to an alumnus who exemplifies what it means to be ‘Forever Orange.'”
Boeheim has been connected with Syracuse for almost six decades. He was born in Lyons, a village in central New York near Syracuse. He enlisted as a walk-on in 1962 and eventually became captain of the Orangemen, with Dave Bing.
In 1969, he began working as a graduate assistant at Syracuse. In 1976, he took over the program. He’s been the face of it ever since, and the floor in the dome where Syracuse plays its home games has been named after him since 2002.
“There will never be another Jim Boeheim,” Buddy Boeheim, one of Boeheim’s sons who played for him at Syracuse, tweeted on Wednesday. “The best coach, father, and mentor I could ever want for. Acity, program, and university everything he had his whole life with countless accomplishments. Excited for a lot of golf in our future, love you pops.”
The Orange were 17-15 this season and will miss the NCAA tournament for a second consecutive season. That led to criticism, which led to questions about Boeheim’s future, and what the school would ultimately decide.
“It’s an honor to play for Coach Boeheim,” Syracuse’s Benny Williams said after the loss to Wake Forest. “Ever since I can remember I’ve been watching Syracuse basketball from Jeremi Grant to Dion Waiters and those guys. The biggest lesson I will take away from Coach Boeheim is just going about my business every day and being a man.”
And there, without question, had been a dropoff in the success.
Syracuse hasn’t won 20 games in any of the last four seasons. It was a far cry from the glory days that saw the program win the NCAA title in 2003 and reach the Final Four on four other occasions. Syracuse reached the NCAA tournament 34 times under Boeheim, won 10 Big East regular-season titles and five more titles in that conference’s tournament.
“I’ve been just so lucky to be able to coach at Syracuse, a place I love, I place I love to live,” Boeheim said. “People keep wondering about that, but maybe that’s a flaw I have. But I’ve lived in Syracuse my whole life, and I’ll live there hopefully a long time into the future. I think it’s a great place.”
It’s Autry’s turn now. He had been expected to be the next coach for some time; the question was always when.
He appeared in 121 games over four seasons for Boeheim before spending more than a decade on the bench with his former coach.
“There have been few more impactful factors in my life than Syracuse University and Jim Boeheim. They have both played such crucial roles, and I am confident that without either, I would not have this great chance,” Autry said. “I’ve spent a lot of time learning the game of basketball from Jim, and I’m grateful to him for preparing me to carry on Orange Basketball’s winning history.
“It is difficult to picture a future without him on the bench, but along with our coaches, student-athletes, and fans, we will build on decades.