By Aidan Joly
It seems like we can’t go a week these days without some kind of Jim Boeheim controversy.
On Saturday, Boeheim said to ESPN’s Pete Thamel that college basketball is is an “awful place” and said that Pittsburgh, Miami and Wake Forest all “bought” their teams through NIL deals. He also added that NIL and the transfer portal is why Mike Krzyzewski and Jay Wright retired.
On Monday, Boeheim issued a statement apologizing for the remarks, but it’s important to point out that Boeheim said that he simply “implied” that those three programs bought their teams, while it’s pretty clear that Boeheim outright said that they bought teams.
This came less than a week after Boeheim was criticized for talking down to a media member who asked about the absence of Benny Williams in the team’s game against Virginia on January 30, asking the reporter, “is that your most important question?” and that “your attitude isn’t really good either.” It should be noted that Syracuse’s media contingent was told that Boeheim would address Williams’ absence after the game. It was just the latest in Boeheim’s well-documented run-ins with media.
Meanwhile, the septuagenarian head coach indicated that he would “probably” return for the 2023-24 season. Why?
For the past handful of years, Boeheim has shown an unwillingness to adapt to how college basketball is played and run today and the results have shown on the court. Syracuse hasn’t won more than 10 league games since the 2013-14, the last time the Orange were a true national title contender before flailing in the second round. Syracuse did get to the Final Four in 2016 as a No. 10 seed, but that was an unexpected run after the team squeaked into the tournament. This year’s team is unlikely to make the NCAA tournament, which would mark the first time since 2007 and 2008 that Syracuse failed to make the NCAA tournament in back-to-back seasons.
For years, Boeheim was able to get top recruits to come to Central New York, but it seems he can no longer do that, and with the emergence of NIL, it’s become even tougher. The top recruits the past two years, Judah Mintz and Williams, have both struggled. Kadary Richmond transferred out after one season. Brycen Goodine left after a year. Quincy Gurrier left after two years. The fact of the matter is, Boeheim no longer is in the running for the top recruits in the country and most of the good ones he is able to get don’t stay.
Boeheim is 78 years old. He is both the oldest and longest-tenured Division I coach in the country. If he returns in 2023-24, it will be his 48th season at the helm. Something that is forgotten in all of this is that he announced in 2015 that he would retire after the 2017-18 season, but the plan went awry when head-coach-in-waiting Mike Hopkins left to take the job at Washington. He would have retired before some of his old-guard counterparts in Krzyzewski, Wright and Roy Williams, but now he is one of the last few standing. At least one more will be gone after this season in Notre Dame’s Mike Brey.
There are two more-than-capable replacements on staff in Adrian Autry and Gerry McNamara, and a look outside of the Syracuse family wouldn’t hurt either. The only remaining question is why this hasn’t happened yet.
Jim, it’s time to go be with your family. Nobody is forcing you to do this to yourself. It’s time to give up the reigns.
AJ Hoops 