Boeheim’s tenure as Syracuse basketball coach is over; Autry named successor

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Jim Boeheim — who has coached the Syracuse University men’s basketball program for 47 years and won the national title in 2003 — is departing.

Syracuse Athletics issued a news release Wednesday afternoon with the headline: “Adrian Autry to Take Helm of Men’s Basketball as Jim Boeheim’s Storied Career Comes to an End.”

The release makes no mention of the word retirement and does not contain any quotes or comments from Boeheim.

Autry, who had been serving as associate head coach and played for Boeheim, takes the reins of the Orange program.

The announcement came just hours after Syracuse lost to Wake Forest, 77-74, in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina to end their season at 17-15. It’s the second straight season in which Syracuse didn’t qualify for a post-season tournament.

“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.’” Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud said.

Boeheim’s tenure

Under Boeheim, Syracuse made 35 trips to the NCAA Tournament, including Final Four appearances in 1987, 1996, 2003, 2013, and 2016.

Besides the 2003 title game, Boeheim coached the Orange to national-championship game appearances in 1987, losing to Indiana on Keith Smart’s jumper in the final seconds and, in 1996, losing to a powerhouse Kentucky team.

Boeheim was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005.

The Lyons native was named 2001 USA Basketball National Coach of the Year, per his cuse.com biography. He also served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic teams that won gold medals in 2008, 2012 and 2016, and the World Cup in 2010 and 2014.

Boeheim ends his Syracuse coaching career with more than 1,000 official wins, although the number is actually higher due to the wins that the NCAA vacated as part of the 2015 NCAA sanctions. The 2015 penalties included scholarship losses, financial penalties, and a Boeheim suspension for nine ACC games the following season.

Nearly a quarter century earlier, the NCAA also placed the Syracuse program on a two-year probation with recruiting restrictions and a post-season ban over recruiting rules violations in the early 1990s.

About Autry

Autry played for Boeheim from 1990-94 and went on to a successful professional career, playing primarily in European leagues, as well as in the United States Basketball League (USBL), Syracuse said.

He began his coaching career in 2006 when he was hired as associate head coach at Bishop Ireton Catholic High School in Virginia and went on to coach AAU programs.

Autry moved into the collegiate ranks in 2008 when he was hired by then-head coach Seth Greenburg as director of basketball operations at Virginia Tech.

He was later promoted to an assistant coach position. Autry was named assistant coach at Syracuse prior to the 2011-12 season and was promoted to associate head coach in March 2017, after Mike Hopkins left to become head coach at Washington.

“There have been very few stronger 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 certain I would not have this incredible opportunity before me,” Autry said in the Syracuse release. “I have spent much of my time in the game of basketball learning from Jim and am so grateful to him for preparing me to carry on the winning tradition that is Orange Basketball. 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.”