Syracuse basketball coaching legend Jim Boeheim is done after 47 seasons leading the Orange program, the school announced on Wednesday. Boeheim, 78, departs the sport at No. 2 behind Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski on the Division I men’s basketball all-time wins list with a final record of 1,015-441. That mark does not include 101 wins vacated by the NCAA. The school announced that associate head coach Adrian Autry has been appointed to lead 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.'”
Boeheim coached the Orange to five Final Four appearances and the 2003 national championship. Including his four years as a player and six as an assistant at Syracuse, he’s spent 57 seasons with the program in various roles. As a head coach, one of his hallmark staples has been the use of a 2-3 zone scheme on defense.
After making a Sweet 16 run in the 2020-21 season as a No. 11 seed, the Orange finished 16-17 in 2022 and 17-15 this past season with a one-and-done appearance in the 2023 ACC Tournament. Boeheim’s decision to retire comes a year after his sons, Buddy and Jimmy Boeheim, departed from the roster after playing key roles.
With Krzyzewski also retiring after the 2021-22 season on the heels of North Carolina legend Roy Williams’ retirement in the summer of 2021, the ACC is undergoing a generational shift within its coaching ranks that has only become more pronounced this year. In addition to Boeheim, Notre Dame coach Mike Brey’s 23-year run at Notre Dame came to an end after the Fighting Irish were eliminated from the ACC Tournament. Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton, 74, and Miami’s Jim Larranaga, 73, are now the league’s elder statesmen.
In addition to the 2003 national title and four other Final Four appearances, Syracuse also won 10 Big East regular-season titles and five Big East Tournaments under Boeheim’s direction. He guided the program through its transition from the Big East to the ACC in the 2013-14 season, and his teams have advanced beyond the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament three times since the shift in leagues.
