The question about when Jim Boeheim’s career as the men’s basketball coach at Syracuse would end has finally been answered.
Boeheim hinted he might be stepping down in his press conference after the Orange were eliminated from the ACC tournament Wednesday against Wake Forest. A few hours later, the school announced that Boeheim’s 47th season helming the Syracuse program would be his last. Adrian Autry, a former player and long-time assistant for Boeheim, was tapped to take over the program.
“There is no doubt in my mind that without Jim Boeheim, Syracuse Basketball would not be the powerhouse program it is today,” Syracuse chancellor Kent Syverud said in a statement. “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.'”
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Unofficially, Boeheim won a total of 1,116 career games in nearly a half century coaching his alma mater. Officially, his record is 1,015-441 due to a series of NCAA sanctions due to rules violations that vacated a total of 101 of those wins. Whatever number you acknowledge, Boeheim ranks second overall behind Mike Kryzewski for career Division I wins among men’s coaches.
Boeheim spent almost all his professional life at Syracuse after playing for the Orange from 1963-66. He became an assistant coach in 1969 before assuming the lead job in 1976. During his coaching tenure, Boeheim became synonymous with a Syracuse program that made five Final Four trips, finished as runner-up twice and won the 2003 national championship while he was on the bench.
His final campaign ends with the Orange going 17-15. They will miss the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive season. Boeheim is second all-time with 35 tournament appearances, one behind Kryzewski.
Autry played for Boeheim from 1990-94 and was a first-team Big East selection as a senior. He joined Syracuse’s coaching staff in 2011 and was promoted to associate head coach in 2017.
“There have been very few stronger influential forces in my life than Syracuse University and Jim Boeheim. They have both played such important roles and without either of them, I am certain I would not have this incredible opportunity before me,” Autry said in a statement. “I have spent much of my time in the game of basketball learning from Jim and am so grateful to him for preparing me to carry on the winning tradition that is Orange Basketball. It’s hard to imagine a world without him on the bench, but together with our coaches, student-athletes and fans, we will build on decades of success as a winning program.”
