For 47 years Jim Boeheim has patrolled the sidelines as head coach at the University of Syracuse. If you factor in another 7 spent as an assistant, and 3 more as a player you have over half a century of involvement in the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball program.
However following the team’s 77-74 loss to Wake Forest in the ACC tournament, the university announced that the 78 year old would be moving on from the school. In his place, former player turned associate head coach Adrian Autry will look to usher in a new era of Syracuse basketball.
In a prepared statement, Chancellor Kent Syverud remarked “There is no doubt in my mind that without Jim Boeheim, Syracuse basketball would not be the powerhouse program it is today…Jim has invested and dedicated the majority 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 epitomizes what it means to be ‘Forever Orange.”
Boeheim concludes his career at the school with an official record of 1,015-441 (.697), ranking 2nd all time in NCAA Div 1 history behind only Mike Krzyzewski at Duke (1,202). That being said, the NCAA stripped 101 victories from the school as a result of rules violations between 2004 and 2007. Had those wins remained intact, the longtime coach may have had an outside shot at catching his former ACC rival for the all-time coaching mark.
“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,” Boeheim said Wednesday. “It’s a great university. The city has embraced our team. I am amazed that we’ve been able to draw the fans that we’ve been able to draw over the years.”
The Lyons, NY native has won virtually every coaching accolade possible over the years. He was the AP Coach of the Year in 2010, was presented with the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award in 2006, and earned 4x Big East Coach of the Year Awards over the course of his career.
With Boeheim at the helm, Syracuse earned 5x Final Four berths, and won a National Championship in 2003. He also helped guide USA Basketball to 3x Olympic Gold Medals, 2x FIBA World Championships and a FIBA Americas Championship in 2007. For his efforts he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
He’s also earned the respect of his peers in the coaching community for his dedication and longevity at the school. Longtime West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins told reporters “He’s had an absolutely incredible career from a player at Syracuse to what he’s done, and what he’s won…That’s hard to do. It’s hard to stay at the top like he has.”
Over the course of his time at Syracuse, Boeheim has had 23 players selected in the 1st round of the NBA Draft, including Carmelo Anthony (2002-2003), Derrick Coleman (1986-1990), and Hakim Warrick (2002-2005) amongst others.
Coach Boeheim’s 58 NCAA Tournament wins rank fourth all-time. However, whether Syracuse earns an at-large bid or not this year remains to be seen. With their loss Wednesday night, the Orange will finish with a 17-15 record, which represents the second worst winning percentage (.531) of his illustrious career. The worst season on record in the Boeheim era came the year prior when the team finished 16-17 on the season.
Taking over the program is longtime assistant Adrian Autry who played 121 games under Boeheim as a player, and is someone the university has long since viewed as the heir apparent to the role.
The 6’4” guard played for the school from 1990-1994, before spending time overseas playing professionally. After stints in Italy and the Euro League, Autry returned stateside to work at Virginia Tech as their Director of Basketball Ops.
In 2011 he returned to his Alma Mater as an assistant coach, before being promoted to associate head coach in 2016.
With their season now in the books, Syracuse will await the results of Selection Sunday to see if they’re chosen for a coveted tournament slot.
Regardless, with Boeheim’s departure, college basketball will lose a legend of the sport for the 3rd consecutive season following Roy Williams’ (UNC) retirement in 2021, and Krzyzewski’s (Duke) retirement in 2022.
The coaching landscape of the ACC is suddenly looking radically different than it did 5 years prior.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Chad Cooper. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.