College men's basketball: Boeheim's unexpected departure finalizes colorful, successful tenure

Mar. 9—After what proved to be the final home game of his legendary coaching career last Saturday, Jim Boeheim took the microphone and delivered his unannounced farewell to the Syracuse University men's basketball fans.

"I'm just going to steal 30 seconds here to thank this 2003 team for the thrill of my life, and of yours, and the thing about it was if they didn't win, it didn't matter, because they are the best people you could be around," Boeheim said after a 20th anniversary celebration of his only national title squad.

Syracuse announced Wednesday that Boeheim will not return as coach next season, officially ending his 47-year tenure soon after a 77-74 last-second loss to Wake Forest in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.

Longtime assistant Adrian Autry will be formally introduced as the new head coach at a Friday press conference.

Boeheim left his fate in the hands of the university when pressed on his plans moving forward, ranging from cantankerous to charming, a trademark throughout the career that he reflected on in the press conference moments after the season-ending setback.

He noted during the exchange on his future that he delivered his "retirement speech," on the court after the regular-season finale last Saturday in the JMA Dome but that nearly everyone "missed it."

Boeheim addressed the fans soon after key members of the 2003 title team — Gerry McNamara and Hakim Warrick — had their respective jerseys retired. That ceremony followed a halftime recognition of the national championship with the unit present.

The Hall of Fame coach with a combined 60 years at SU beginning as a walk-on player, credited various unsung members of the title team — Watertown High School graduate Matt Gorman included — and spoke of recruiting Carmelo Anthony amid the nostalgia of the program's pinnacle achievement.

He then looked around to all the fans and waved while closing with his final statement on the Dome court already named in his honor.

"One last thing, we have the best fans in the country, no doubt about it, thank you for being here today and thank you for all the support for a long time, thank you," Boeheim said.

Boeheim's final home game, knowingly or not, was one of several emotional moments that brought his iconic tenure full circle in his final season.

The 78-year-old from Lyons was formally inducted into the SU Athletics Ring of Honor in the Dome alongside the posthumous honoring of former star point guard, Pearl Washington, during a Dec. 10 victory over traditional rival Georgetown.

Less than a week later, Boeheim was grieving the loss of Louis Orr, a longtime friend and member of his first recruiting class when he took the helm in 1976.

Orr famously formed the "Louie and Bouie Show," pairing with Roosevelt Bouie, combining for a dominant four-year stretch under Boeheim to help establish SU as a national power.

Despite a polarizing final few seasons, likely ending with the only back-to-back seasons left out of both the NCAA tourney and NIT during his tenure, Boeheim leaves as a luminary of the sport that produced competitive squads with unmatched consistency.

The 2021-22 unit that finished 16-17 overall was the only losing record of his nearly five decades in charge.

Boeheim led SU to 35 NCAA Tournaments, five Final Fours, the 2003 national title, and finishes second all-time for Division I coaches with 1,015 career victories, not including the 101 vacated by the NCAA.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005 and contributed to USA Basketball, most notably as an assistant with the men's national team for the 2008, '12, and '16 Olympics.

His fiery but straight-forward personality — often argumentative but always honest and accessible — became endearing among SU faithful as he contributed to the rise of the Big East Conference.

Syracuse has been in the top four for national attendance every year since the Carrier Dome opened in 1980, including third this year amid struggles, which was preceded by three straight No. 1 rankings.

"To me that's the biggest surprise in college athletics that I've seen, that we've been able to do that with no parking, tough winters," Boeheim said in the press conference after the regular-season finale on Saturday.

"I remember when a Georgetown game was on TV and it was snowing like crazy and we had 30,000 people here, I was walking around thinking: 'This is impossible, you can't even dream this stuff.'"

Boeheim has constantly expressed his appreciation for Syracuse in national settings throughout his tenure. He famously selected the city when asked by former assistant, Rick Pitino, where he would live if he could choose anywhere in the world.

Boeheim and his wife, Juli, launched the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation in 2009, which has awarded more than $10 million to community charities that benefit local kids and advocate for cancer research.

Boeheim has stated in recent appearances that he would spend time with his family, golf, focus on the foundation and potentially work in a different role for SU after his time on the bench came to an end. He recently purchased a $5 million estate on Skaneateles Lake.