Jim Boeheim officially retiring; Autry to replace him

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) -- Syracuse University News reports that SU men's basketball head coach Jim Boeheim has announced his retirement.

Jim Boeheim first arrived at Syracuse University as a student and walk-on with the men’s basketball team. Six decades later, he’d be one of college basketball’s winningest head coaches, a national champion, a Hall of Famer, and one of the most prominent alumni in Syracuse University history. As his 47th season of coaching comes to an end, so too does his storied career at Syracuse University. Associate Head Coach Adrian Autry ’94, one of Boeheim’s former players and longtime assistant, has been named the program’s next head coach, according to Syracuse University News.

“There is no doubt in my mind that without Jim Boeheim, Syracuse Basketball would not be the powerhouse program it is today,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “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.’”

In addition to the national title he and the 2003 team brought home during his 47 years as Syracuse’s head coach, the Orange has made 35 trips to the NCAA Tournament, including Final Four appearances in 1987, 1996, 2003, 2013, and 2016. Boeheim, a four-time BIG EAST Coach of the Year, has been honored as National Association of Basketball Coaches District II Coach of the Year 10 times and United States Basketball Writers Association District II Coach of the Year on five occasions.

“I have spent my entire career surrounded by the biggest and best names in professional and intercollegiate athletics. Few people are on the same playing field as Coach Boeheim...Jim Boeheim is synonymous with excellence, grit and determination. Jim is a rare breed of coach, building a program that is among the best in college basketball for nearly five decades. I am incredibly grateful for what he has done for Syracuse Basketball, Syracuse Athletics and Syracuse University as a whole.”

John Wildhack, Director of Athletics

“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...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.”

Adrian Autry

At Syracuse, Autry has worked closely with eventual NBA draft picks Jerami Grant, Tyler Ennis, Oshae Brissett, Tyler Lydon and Chris McCullough. Grant has enjoyed tremendous success in the NBA, while Lydon, McCullough and additional Autry protégés C.J. Fair and Andrew White have excelled in the NBA G-League. Autry coaches the Syracuse forwards and recruits all positions for the Orange. Syracuse has played in the NCAA Tournament in seven of his 12 campaigns as an assistant, including Final Four trips in 2013 and 2016. In November 2016, Autry was honored as a Syracuse LetterWinner of Distinction and in 2017 he received the prestigious Vic Hanson Award from the Hardwood Club.

Autry and his wife, Andrea, reside in Jamesville, with a son, Trey, and a daughter, Nina. They are also parents of a daughter, Aliyah, and a son Adrian Jr., both who graduated from Syracuse.

This story is according to Syracuse University News.