Win The National Title In April, And Go Out On Your Own Terms, JB

Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim appeared on the Dan Patrick show to talk all things SU and his future. Our Neil Adler says he should go out on his terms.

The 2016-17 campaign has proven a roller-coaster ride for the Syracuse basketball squad and its head coach, the legendary Jim Boeheim.

Boeheim, in his 41st year at the SU helm, has experienced his worst non-conference mark (8-5) and suffered his largest home defeat, by 33 to St. John’s.

It took Wednesday night’s thrilling triumph over No. 10 Duke to ensure that he didn’t endure the first losing stanza – ever – during his tenure.

This year’s group is presently the only unranked outfit in the country to have victories versus three top-10 outfits. Yet the Orange remains on the Big Dance bubble, due to some really awful setbacks against foes like the aforementioned St. John’s, as well as Boston College and Connecticut, to name a few.

Coming off an improbable run to the Final Four this past March, Boeheim himself probably set expectations a tad high entering the 2016-17 term, given all the new faces, like graduate transfers Andrew White III and John Gillon, as well as freshmen Taurean Thompson and Tyus Battle.

Boeheim is 72. He’s pretty much seen it all. Countless NCAA Tournament berths, five Final Fours and one national championship. More than 1,000 successes under his belt.

Yet he’s also had to deal with NCAA sanctions on more than one occasion.

He saw the beloved Pearl Washington pass away last April at the age of 52, as well as the

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26-year-old Fab Melo just a few weeks ago.

Boeheim’s current roster of guys has frustrated him on numerous instances and led to a handful of rotation changes. It has produced the highs of wins over ranked opponents, as well as several buzzer-beating accomplishments. It has also generated the lows of, well, we’ve already documented them.

Perhaps all that’s transpired of late is weighing on him. Who really knows, other than JB himself, and maybe his family. It’s widely documented that the “plan” is for Boeheim to call it quits after the 2017-18 campaign, giving way to Mike Hopkins.

‘Cuse fans, myself included, and members of the media love to prognosticate as to whether that plan will actually take place. Many people believe that the NCAA penalties of a few years ago kind of “forced” Boeheim into this succession strategy.

Personally, I want JB to go out on his own terms. And I would feel fine if that meant he captures a second national title this April, and then rides off into the sunset. I recognize it’s a super duper long shot, and I would feel bad for the 2017 recruits who thought that they would get one year of Boeheim as their boss.

"But look at what he had to say on “The Dan Patrick Show” on Thursday morning: “I don’t know what’s etched in stone these days,” he said, via the CBS Sports Web site. “I really don’t. There’s a plan in place, and we’re going to see what happens. But basically right now, I might be done this year. You just don’t know. You just have to wait until the season’s over.”"

Wow. Could that truly occur? Or is he just speaking from a point of emotion, as he has done a bevy of times in recent years?

"Conversely, earlier this week, Sports Illustrated’s Pete Thamel, a SU grad, penned a column that included this: “The reality here is that Boeheim was essentially forced out because of Syracuse’s significant NCAA issues. This doesn’t sit well with him. People close to him still hold the belief that he’ll somehow figure out a way to coach past next season.”"

In response, Boeheim told Syracuse.com, “The only thing he [Thamel] got right in that story is the spelling of my name.”

So Thamel is suggesting that JB may try to coach beyond next season. Boeheim is saying he may not even make it to next season.

Next: Syracuse Football Recruiting Sitdown: Nykeim Johnson

Honestly, your guess as to Boeheim’s fate is as good as mine.

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