Syracuse Basketball: Juli Boeheim talks her approach to ‘Boeheim Bowl’

Juli Boeheim sat down to talk Salvation Army, the upcoming ‘Boeheim Bowl’, and being married to a legendary Syracuse basketball coach.

This Saturday in the Carrier Dome fans will witness a Boeheim family reunion. The Syracuse basketball squad will return home to play the Cornell Big Red.

On paper this is a matchup that the Orange have dominated thoroughly and shouldn’t be very close on the court. But this matchup is about more than just the x’s and o’s, it’s about the players involved.

Jimmy Boeheim is a sophomore at Cornell and he’ll be facing his younger brother Buddy Boeheim who is a freshman at Syracuse on Saturday. All the while Jim Boeheim the father of both Boeheim boys will be coaching his son Buddy for Syracuse.

It should be some crazy extracurricular activities for Syracuse fans, but just imagine how Juli Boeheim will feel? Well you don’t have to wonder because I had the opportunity to interview her this week to talk about the upcoming ‘Boeheim Bowl’ and her work with the Syracuse Salvation Army.

Juli Boeheim spoke about being the matriarch of the Boeheim family and dealing with everything that comes with that:

"“We take it in stride and quite frankly it’s all we know. Like the kids say, (Jim Boeheim) is just dad. He’s more than just a Syracuse basketball coach, he’s my husband and he’s a pretty awesome guy outside of what everyone else sees. We’re a pretty normal family. We don’t think of it any other kind of terms. I’m proud of Jim, he’s worked so hard and he’s given his whole life to this community and this sport and he certainly bleeds Orange.”"

Juli spoke about the interesting relationship between Jim Boeheim and Buddy Boeheim as father and son working together on the Syracuse basketball squad this season and moving forward:

"“You know I’m still getting used to it. This is new and I’d say Jim is going to continue adjusting as we work our way deeper into the season. It’s so exciting to look over and see Buddy Boeheim on the bench and it’s so surreal. I asked Jim one day recently when they’re in their meetings and you look and see Buddy is it like crazy? He didn’t really say much, he wasn’t like I would be like isn’t this crazy? Jim is tough minded and he won’t come out of that mentality that Buddy is just another player on this team.”"

Juli on if there was a moment that she knew that Buddy would eventually play for Jim at Syracuse?

"“No not really. It was always Buddy’s dream to play for his dad. Jimmy (his other son) really went back and forth on where he would play collegiately and ultimately he chose the Ivy Leagues with Cornell. To be honest, for Buddy it was always a dream, it didn’t seem to be a reality and then everything blew up. It wasn’t until he went to Brewster Academy that we thought it was a real possibility.”"

Juli spoke on what she wants to have happen on Saturday when Syracuse and Cornell face off in the Carrier Dome:

"“Both boys (Jimmy and Buddy Boeheim) score 50 points and Syracuse wins.”"

That’s a beautiful drop the mic moment and if you’d like to hear the full interview you can listen to it above. This conversation was featured exclusively on ‘Drive Time Sports’ with Paul A. Esden Jr on The Score 1260 in Syracuse.

But beyond the basketball conversation which is riveting, Juli joined the airwaves to discuss her position as the Kettle Chair this year for the Salvation Army in Syracuse.

Everyone sees the red kettles around town this time of year and that’s the best way to donate. Although some people today don’t carry cash around with them which is a common issue, so there’s another way to help.

You can also text donations by texting GIFT65 to the number: 41444 and you can donate that way as well. Onondaga County has a goal of $250,000 and the community has always stepped up when needed and here’s another opportunity to help out a wonderful cause. To read more information you can visit the official Salvation Army site here.