Jim Boeheim leaves Syracuse after 47 years in charge of the men’s basketball team

Jim Boeheim, the longest-serving head coach in NCAA Division One basketball and the second-winningest coach in its history, is no longer in charge of the Orange men’s basketball team at Syracuse University. .

The school confirmed in a statement that veteran head coach Adrian Autry will take over next season.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Orange went down with a buzzer-beating shot to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in the second round of the ACC Tournament, ending Syracuse’s season at 17-15.

The school did not confirm whether or not the decision to move to Autry was his or whether Boeheim officially withdrew.

However, at a post-loss press conference on Wednesday, Boeheim told reporters: “I gave my retirement speech last week and no one noticed.”

Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud said in a statement, “I have no doubt that without Jim Boeheim, Syracuse Basketball would not be the core program it is today.”

‘Jim has invested and dedicated most of his life to building this program, cultivating generations of student-athletes and representing his alma mater with pride and distinction.

‘I extend my deep appreciation and gratitude to an alumnus who embodies what it means to be ‘Forever Orange.’

The school’s athletic director, John Wildhack, a former ESPN executive, said Boeheim’s tenure is unforgettable.

“I have spent my entire career surrounded by the biggest and best names in professional and intercollegiate athletics. Few people are on the same playing field as Coach Boeheim.

‘Jim Boeheim is synonymous with excellence, courage and determination. Jim is a rare breed of coach, building a program that ranks among the best in college basketball for nearly five decades.

“I am incredibly grateful for what he has done for Syracuse Basketball, Syracuse Athletics and Syracuse University in general.”

Autry, a longtime assistant who has been at Syracuse since 2011 and an associate head coach since 2016, follows a path similar to Boeheim’s: He played with him from 1990 to 1994.

“There have been very few stronger influential forces in my life than Syracuse University and Jim Boeheim,” Autry said in his statement.

“They have both played such important roles and without either of them, I’m sure I wouldn’t have this incredible opportunity before me. I have spent much of my time in the game of basketball learning from Jim and am very grateful to him for preparing me to continue the winning tradition that is Orange Basketball.

“It’s hard to imagine a world without him in the dugout, but together with our coaches, student-athletes and fans, we will build on decades of success as a winning program.”

Wildhack stood by his new coach, who may be met with some feelings of backlash, uncertainty or apprehension from those who live in ‘The Salt City,’ just because he’s not Boeheim.

‘It’s rare for a program to have as deep a coaching bench as we have here at Syracuse. We are fortunate to have someone with the talent, experience and character of Coach Autry taking the reins of basketball for Syracuse.’ Wildhack says.

‘Not only is he an exceptional trainer of Xs and Os, he is also an outstanding recruiter, a selfless mentor, a dedicated community leader and a passionate ambassador for Orange. I’m excited to see what he’ll do with this program as head coach.’

Boeheim was born in the city of Lyons, New York, located near Rochester. From there, he went on to play at Syracuse for four seasons at guard.

After playing professionally in minor league basketball, Boeheim returned to Central New York as an assistant to then-coach Roy Danforth for eight seasons.

He took over as Orange’s head coach in 1976 and has been in charge ever since. His efforts transformed Syracuse into a national powerhouse in college basketball, turning 2-3 zone defense into a trademark.

During his 47-year career, Boeheim won the 2003 national championship. He also made it to the 1987 and 1996 national title games, which he lost. Boeheim also reached the Final Four in 2013 and 2016.

Boeheim also retires with ten Big East regular-season titles and five Big East tournament titles, but never won an ACC crown after Syracuse moved to that conference in the fall of 2013.

He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005.

At Syracuse, he coached such notable players as the late Dwayne ‘Pearl’ Washington, Sherman Douglas, Derrick Coleman, Billy Owens, Lawrence Moten and Carmelo Anthony.

Internationally, Boeheim was a longtime assistant with Team USA along with friend Mike Krzyzewski, winning three straight Olympic gold medals from 2008-2016.

He also won gold at the FIBA ​​World Championships in 2010 and 2014, and took bronze in 1990 and 2006.

He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2001 and subsequently established a foundation dedicated to child welfare, as well as cancer treatment and prevention.

Boeheim was not without controversy. Notoriously fussy, snooty, and aloof with the press, his mocking of height by reporters in March 2021 was just one of many examples of his often polarizing personality.

Another controversy surrounded his retirement – or, rather, the retirement that never was. Boeheim was initially scheduled to resign in March 2018 and he was supposed to leave his job in the hands of assistant Mike Hopkins.

However, he opted to extend his contract, forcing Hopkins to leave for work in Washington. Boeheim had a combined record of just 89-70 in subsequent seasons.

Then, there’s the matter of how many wins you actually have. Boeheim has a 1,116-440 record in his career, yet the NCAA has vacated 101 wins due to violations. That leaves his official win count at 1,015.

In February 2019, Boeheim struck and killed a man on Interstate 690 outside of the city proper when a car stopped on the highway shortly after a game against Louisville.

Boeheim surrounded the car, but struck and killed the man, who was a passenger. Field, speed, and sobriety tests determined that the trainer was speeding, but Boeheim was not charged.