The Syracuse Orange announced on Wednesday that they were moving on from longtime head coach Jim Boeheim, and they quickly pivoted to name his replacement.
Jim Boeheim had been the face of the Syracuse Orange basketball program for the past 47 years, dating back to the 1976-77 season. It was a matter of time before Boeheim stepped away as head coach. But after the team’s opening round ACC Tournament loss to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Wednesday, and the head coach providing vague responses about his future, the program wasted no time in announcing that they were officially moving on from Boeheim.
As it turns out, they already had his replacement in mind.
Shortly after announcing that Boeheim would not return for next season, Syracuse announced that they were promoting associate head coach Adrian Autry as their ninth head coach in history.
“It’s rare that a program has as deep of a coaching bench as we do here at Syracuse,” says athletic director John Wildhack, via Syracuse’s official website. “We are fortunate to have someone of Coach Autry’s talent, experience and character taking the reins of Syracuse basketball. Not only is he an exceptional Xs and Os coach, he’s also an outstanding recruiter, selfless mentor, dedicated community leader and a passionate Orange ambassador. I am thrilled to see what he will do with this program as its head coach.”
Adrian Autry named Jim Boeheim’s replacement at Syracuse
Autry was a point guard for the Orange from 1990 until 1994. During his four years at the university, Autry recorded 1,538 points, 631 assists, 456 rebounds, and 217 steals.
After coaching in high school, Autry got his first job at the collegiate level in 2008 with the Virginia Tech Hokies, serving as a director of basketball operations and an assistant coach. From there, he made his return to Syracuse, this time as an assistant coach in 2011. After spending the past seven seasons as an associate head coach, Autry is now set to take over for Boeheim.
In his 47 seasons at Syracuse, Boeheim holds a cumulative record of 1,015-441 with 101 wins vacated by the NCAA. Boeheim and Syracuse have five Final Four appearances. Of course, the 2002-03 Orange team won the National Championship after they defeated the Kansas Jayhawks 81-78.
It is officially a new era at Syracuse, with Autry set to take over as the sideline boss for the Orange for the 2023-24 season.
