Syracuse Basketball: Analysts say the time is now for Jim Boeheim to retire

When exactly is Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim going to call it quits?

That’s the $144 million question that is constantly being debated among Orange fans. Boeheim has said on more than one occasion in interviews that he feels great and has no plans to hang up his whistle anytime soon.

Boeheim has a ton of high praise for the team’s five-member 2022 recruiting class, and he’s made it clear that he will be coaching these high-school prospects.

Now, does this mean that Boeheim couldn’t elect to retire after the current stanza, which has proven a struggle for the ‘Cuse? Sure, he could absolutely step down after the 2021-22 term. You never know for sure, although my personal belief is that Boeheim will roam the sidelines in 2022-23 and beyond.

Two well-known analysts say Jim Boeheim should retire from Syracuse basketball.

On a recent Field of 68 After Dark podcast, the topic of when Boeheim should retire was discussed and debated by host Rob Dauster as well as analysts Doug Gottlieb and Jeff Goodman.

Both Gottlieb, who isn’t all that liked by the bevy of ‘Cuse fans, and Goodman say that the time has come for Boeheim to call it quits, and I’m sure that will delight a contingent of Syracuse basketball fanatics.

Goodman said in part that, these days, the Orange isn’t recruiting or winning at a “high-enough level,” and Boeheim probably should move on.

Goodman and Gottlieb acknowledge that Boeheim is a fierce competitor and loves coaching. The analysts also agree that while it’s nice that Boeheim has had an opportunity to coach his sons, senior shooting guard Buddy Boeheim and graduate student forward Jimmy Boeheim, the ‘Cuse is sub-par in 2021-22.

By extension, Syracuse basketball has proven pretty average at best since joining the Atlantic Coast Conference from the Big East Conference during the 2013-14 term.

In that first season as part of the ACC, the Orange did finish second in the league’s standings and went 28-6 overall. And the ‘Cuse, in recent years, has made a Final Four and a pair of Sweet 16s.

But the team’s regular-season records in the ACC have not been great. Or even good. And, understandably, some Syracuse basketball fans are ready for a new head coach to arrive.

Goodman and Gottlieb agree that Jim Boeheim, no matter what his record is during a particular season, isn’t going to get forced out of his position. I totally concur here.

Do I want a new head coach in Central New York? I’m on the fence. I love Coach Boeheim and what he’s accomplished. I also acknowledge that the Orange is relatively stagnant these days, and it’s a bummer for sure.

The 2022 class looks promising. It’s not entirely clear if either, or both, of Boeheim’s sons might return in 2022-23. I’ll be sad when Jim Boeheim does step down. At the same time, I want Syracuse basketball to be better, and sooner rather than later.