Some Syracuse basketball fans want Jim Boeheim to retire, but hold on

Syracuse basketball moved from the Big East Conference to the Atlantic Coast Conference beginning with the 2013-14 season, and except for that first year, the Orange and its head coach, Jim Boeheim, have struggled through the bevy of regular stanzas as an ACC member.

Now, the ‘Cuse did make a Final Four in 2016 and reached the Sweet 16 in 2018. And the team did get hurt by the NCAA sanctions that limited the Orange’s recruiting initiatives, along with some player injuries, transfers out of the program, and early departures for the professional ranks.

Those NCAA penalties are behind the ‘Cuse. However, Syracuse basketball has slogged its way through a lot of so-so placements in the ACC standings in recent years, and the 2020-21 campaign is more of the same.

As a result, a ton of Orange fans have called for Boeheim to retire on social media of late, and that even included after the ‘Cuse displayed a ton of grit and heart in besting North Carolina at the Carrier Dome on Monday night. I do understand some fans’ disappointment and frustration with the state of the Syracuse basketball program.

The ‘Cuse is in the top-10 all-time in a lot of historical metrics within the sport, including total victories, NCAA Tournament triumphs and Final Four appearances. Boeheim has never endured a losing campaign in 45 terms, which is mind-boggling to me.

Yet we live in a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately society, and lately, the Orange has resided on the proverbial March Madness bubble. A contingent of Syracuse basketball fans is fed up.

Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim is getting shredded on social media by ‘Cuse fans.

I acknowledge my bias on this topic, because I wholeheartedly support Boeheim, regardless of the recent woes that the team has faced.

Boeheim has built up a program in Central New York that is a national brand in college basketball. Teams go through slumps, although this slump by the Orange since basically 2014-15 – save for those two nice Big Dance journeys – is stretching into concerning territory.

From my perspective, though, what Boeheim has achieved on the Hill affords him the right to call it quits when he feels that the time is right. Syracuse University leaders are never going to fire Boeheim, and they shouldn’t.

I respect the opinions of my fellow ‘Cuse fanatics, and if they adamantly feel that Boeheim’s tenure with the Orange is past due, that’s fair enough.

With a five-star commit in the Syracuse basketball 2021 recruiting class, and lots of top-flight talents in the mix for the ‘Cuse 2022 and 2023 cycles, I’d like to see how things pan out for Boeheim & Co. over the next few years.

Maybe, just maybe, before Boeheim rides off into the sunset, he can guide his boys on at least one more magical odyssey in late March and early April.