Former Syracuse Basketball Head Coach Jim Boeheim - Chris Carlson/AP
Jim Boeheim is a larger-than-life figure in the Division I College Basketball public eye. Whether you love or hate him, Coach Boeheim has always stayed true to his beliefs.
The controversial coach transformed a program, and a sport still considered a local club style into the national phenomenon college basketball fans enjoy today.
So, how did this fiery, competitive person become a long-tenured college basketball coach who has been inducted into the Hall of Fame?
It all started with a simple but not easy formula.
Who is SU Coach Jim Boeheim?
Boeheim joined the Syracuse basketball team in 1962 as a player. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in social science.
During his senior year, he was named the team captain. The dynamic athlete led his team to a (22-6) overall win-loss record, which earned the team its second NCAA tournament berth.
In addition, he returned to Syracuse University to coach.
He was promoted to head coach in 1976 when Roy Danforth (who had brought the team to the Final Four a year earlier) took a job at Tulane University.
Boeheim was a staple for 35 of the school’s 41 NCAA tournament appearances, 1015 of its wins, five Final Fours, and the 2003 National Championship.
He has been honored as Big East Coach of the Year four times.
Therefore, the unique coach has also served as President of the (NABC) and has been an assistant coach for the United States Men’s National Basketball team at the Summer Olympics three times.
In September 2005, Boeheim was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
“His career is so unique,” Krzyzewski said. “Because it’s not just longevity at a school. Its longevity in a community, along with [his wife] Juli, has been immense. It’s an incredibly unique career. You can’t say anyone’s is like it.”
How SU Coach Jim Boeheim Built His Program
For 47 years, the Syracuse basketball program has recruited tall, lengthy shooting guards and forwards with long arms for its steady, 2-3 zone defense.
While it was a staple of their program, other coaches and fans sometimes criticized it, especially when they would stick with it after giving up multiple three-pointers.
“To have the – just the belief in a zone to never get out of it,” New Mexico Coach Richard Pitino, son of Rick, said of Boeheim’s adherence to the tactic. “I mean when somebody hits a 3 versus a zone, I get out of that thing so fast.”
Still, Syracuse believed in the zone because they were a tall team, and that was what worked with teams in the NCAA tournament who struggled to play against it.
This same zone defense, with Carmelo Anthony and Hakim Warrick, helped Syracuse win the program’s only National Championship in 2003.
2015 Suspension
On March 6, 2015, the NCAA suspended Boeheim for nine ACC games as the program’s punishment for violating academic policies and recruiting practices.
In addition, the team would lose 12 scholarships and have 108 wins vacated, while Boeheim would serve his suspension.
Luckily, long-time assistant coach and the “head coach in waiting” Mike Hopkins was ready to take over.
During those ACC games, Hopkins still led the team to a (4-5) conference record. This would be perfect timing for Boeheim to return and get this team to finish the regular season strong.
The Orange finished (19-12) overall (9-9 in ACC play).
Although the Orange lost early in the ACC tournament, they still earned a 10th seed in the NCAA tournament.
They would go on to make a magical run all the way to the final four, where they would lose to the eventual national runners-up, the North Carolina Tar Heels, 83-66.
Still, this was a well-earned finish for a head coach and a man everyone was once again ready to count out.
But he listened to his heart, and his believers believed he could make the final four again.
2019 Car Accident
Back when Boeheim was still Syracuse’s Basketball coach in 2019, after driving home from a game, he hit a car and killed a pedestrian inside the car.
He was trying to avoid the disabled car that slid out of control due to ice.
Luckily, the then 75-year-old coach was not charged with the crime.
“After a careful review of the facts and circumstances of this case, including the thorough and meticulous accident reconstruction performed by experienced members of the Syracuse Police Department’s Traffic Division, I concur with their findings that this was a tragic accident. No charges will be filed against anyone involved.” Fitzpatrick wrote.
Afterwards
Being the man he is, Boeheim got back on his feet and remained the same disgruntled but kind-hearted head coach he was.
He still didn’t shy away from calling out beat reporters who tried to get him with postgame “gotcha” questions about the accident.
Keep in mind that Boeheim is also a good husband to his wife, Juli, and a dad to his three kids, Buddy, Jimmy, and Jamie.
Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation
After Jim recovered from prostate cancer, he and his wife Juli decided to pay it forward. They started a charity that raises money for cancer research and issues concerned with child welfare.
In 2009, Jim and Juli opened the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation, which raises money to help people of all ages battling cancer in Central New York.
Raising money for a good cause is a wonderful thing to do, but for Jim and Juli, helping cancer survivors and families counts more than just delivering checks.
Boeheim Kids
People usually say, “Don’t bring the kids into it,” but when raised by good parents like Jim and Juli Boeheim, their children have been successful at such young ages.
The oldest son, Jimmy, originally played basketball for Cornell in the IVY league.
But he wanted to pursue a graduate year after his senior year, and IVY league schools don’t grant that for reasons that even the IVY league coaches don’t know.
Of course, he chose Syracuse as a grad transfer. One reason was because his brother Buddy, the middle child, was becoming the squad’s head three-point shooter.
Jimmy averaged 16.7 points in his graduate year at Cuse, while Buddy averaged 19.2. Jimmy is playing in the top German Professional League, while Buddy is playing in the NBA G-League with the Oklahoma City Blue.
Both boys are going on their paths to discover what kind of pro players they want to be.
And then, there’s Jamie.
Jamie is the only girl in the Boeheim bunch. She worked hard alongside her two brothers to become the strong young woman she is today.
Therefore, she chose a different path for college basketball and committed to playing at the University of Rochester.
But after a freshman season that didn’t live up to her own standards, she left the team during her sophomore year.
This was a blessing in disguise for Buddy’s twin sister.
She graduated from the University of Rochester with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Jamie earned her graduate degree from Syracuse University and obtained her license in Master of Social Work.
Now, she is a school-based clinician at Academics West, NYS-certified, and licensed as a social worker.
Life after Boeheim
To this day, Boeheim’s recruiting philosophy has been passed down to current head coach Adrian Autry.
They are still recruiting tall, lengthy guards and wingers. Both can shoot the rock and play both zone and man-man defense when they switch it up.
While the 47 years may be gone, one thing is certain. The formula for winning will never go away.
Syracuse will consistently recruit to its strengths, and its assistants will be trained to do the same if it gets other head coaching opportunities.
I believe Jim Boeheim was Syracuse basketball then and will always be Syracuse basketball.
Additionally, he is the current Syracuse Special Assistant to the Athletic Director today; go figure!
I will be able to tell my generation and the next generation moving forward how College Basketball and the Orange were national figures because of SU Coach Jim Boeheim.
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