After 47 seasons, Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim will not return to Syracuse as men’s basketball coach, it was announced Wednesday.
Just hours after the Orange lost 77–74 to Wake Forest on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in the ACC Tournament, Syracuse announced that associate head coach Adrian Autry, who has been on the staff since 2011, would be fired to replace 78. will be promoted to -Year-Old Boheme.
“There is no doubt in my mind that without Jim Boeheim, Syracuse basketball would not be the powerhouse program it is today,” Chancellor Kent Sieverud said in a statement. “Jim has invested and dedicated much of his life to building this program, grooming generations of student-athletes, and representing his alma mater with pride and distinction. I express my deep appreciation and gratitude to an alumnus which epitomizes what it means to be ‘Orange Forever.'”
After Wednesday’s loss, Boeheim indicated he would retire, but said it was up to the university to decide his future.
Boeheim said, “As I’ve said since day one when I started working here, the university hired me, and it’s their choice to do what they want to do.” “I always have the option of retirement, but it is their decision whether I coach or not. It always has been.
“… I’ve been fortunate to have coached for so long.”
Boeheim later added: “I gave my retirement speech last week, and nobody picked it up.”
Sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel that the timing for Syracuse to announce that Autry, a former player under Boeheim, would take over the program had not been determined until Wednesday.
Boeheim has an official coaching record of 1,015–441 in his career – 101 wins were vacated due to NCAA rules violations between 2004 and 2007 and 2010 to 2012 that resulted in sanctions. Retired Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski holds the Division I career record with 1,202 wins, with Boeheim ranking second.
He took Syracuse to the NCAA Tournament on 35 occasions and advanced to the Final Four in five of those trips – winning the national title in 2003. He has 58 official NCAA tournament wins, which ranks fourth all-time.
“I’ve been very fortunate to be able to coach my college team, play and then become an assistant coach and then a head coach, without ever having to leave Syracuse,” Boeheim said Wednesday. “It’s a great university. The city has embraced our team. I’m surprised we’ve been able to attract the fans we’ve been able to attract over the years.
“… I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have this job. Mike Bray is thrilled he was at Notre Dame 23 years; he’s a puppy. I’ve had 47 years. I got to coach my sons. Two years ago, we were in the Sweet 16. And last year, I got to coach my sons. … I wanted to come back and coach these guys, and that’s what I did. Not offered, whether to work at the university or do something. It’s their choice.”
His 47 seasons at Syracuse trailed only Jim Phelan, who coached Mount Saint Mary’s for 49 seasons between 1955 and 2008, in terms of longevity at the same school.
“There is no person more synonymous with Syracuse men’s basketball than legendary head coach Jim Boeheim,” ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said in a statement, thanking him for all that Jim has done for the ACC and college basketball. And we wish them all the best. Best wishes to Julie and her entire family as she enters her next chapter.”
Boeheim, who had 23 players selected in the first round of the NBA Draft, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005. He was also an assistant coach for three USA basketball teams that won Olympic gold medals.
Syracuse awaits any potential postseason bids with a 17-15 record. Excluding seasons that were vacated by sanctions, it was the second-worst winning percentage for a season in his coaching career – only surpassed by the 2021–22 team, which went 16–17.
Sources said Autry had long been the administrative choice to be Boeheim’s successor, but the timing was not finalized until after Syracuse’s loss to Wake Forest.
Autry, a 1994 grad, has been Syracuse’s top recruiter and staff member since returning to his alma mater in 2011. He brings strong ties to the New York City and Washington DC areas and also ties to the program’s storied past.
He played 121 matches in his four seasons for Boeheim, then spent over a decade with his former coach on the bench.
Autry said, “There have been very few more 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 sure I would not have this incredible opportunity in front of me.” ” “I spent most of my time playing basketball learning from Jim and am extremely grateful to him for preparing me to carry on the Orange Basketball winning tradition.
“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.”
Boeheim has been inextricably linked with Syracuse for more than six decades. He was born in the central New York City of Lyons, not far from Syracuse. He enrolled at the school as a walk-on in 1962, eventually becoming captain of the then-Orangemen alongside Dave Byng.
In 1969, Boeheim was hired as a graduate assistant at Syracuse. And in 1976 he took over as head coach of the program. He has been its face ever since.