Jim Boeheim’s 47-year run as head coach is over, but his retirement plan includes an ongoing role at Syracuse.
Boeheim said Friday he’s happily handing the reins of the basketball program over to Adrian Autry, stressing this plan has been in place “for years” with the longtime assistant coach. Autry, hired to join the Syracuse bench in 2011, assures the team is “in the best of hands,” Boeheim said.
Boeheim decided late in the season during a four-game losing streak that it was time to retire. He said he met with athletic director John Wildhack to determine what would be next.
“I’m probably most happy that I’ll never leave here,” Boeheim said. “I’ll never leave Syracuse, and I’ll never leave Syracuse University.”
Autry, 51, played for Boeheim from 1990-94. He was emotional in thanking Boeheim for everything he has done to assist his coaching career. Autry said he plans to shape the team in a different way and bring a new voice and viewpoint from the Syracuse bench. He wouldn’t commit to continuing the trademark 2-3 zone that was synonymous with Boeheim for decades.
“The ‘Orange Standard’ is the history of winning, the history of playing hard and competing for championships,” Autry said. “The history of resilience, determination and grit. As I take over this program as the head coach, it is these standards that will guide us into the future. I am a new voice, a new face, with new ideas, but the standards that have helped build this program will not change.”
Boeheim, 78, came to Syracuse University as a walk-on basketball player in 1962. He coached his last game this week at the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament and exits with 1,116 on-court victories. His official win count is 1,015 due to the NCAA vacating 101 victories as part of penalties handed down against the program in 2015.
Boeheim ranks second all-time behind former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski (1,202), who retired in April 2022.
He won a national championship in 2003 and took Syracuse to the Final Four five times.
Boeheim had 62 victories in 96 NCAA Tournament games, including three national title game appearances.
–Field Level Media