Syracuse Basketball: It appears the next head coach will be from SU family

Syracuse basketball boss Jim Boeheim says he knows when he’s going to retire, and there is a succession plan in place for when the legendary head coach decides to hang up his whistle after a Hall of Fame career on the Hill.

Boeheim, recently speaking with Brent Axe on ESPN Radio Syracuse, said he will not disclose when he plans to retire, nor will he provide any details of the succession plan (i.e., who the next Orange head coach will be).

Boeheim has said more than once that he will coach the ‘Cuse in the 2022-23 campaign, as the team will bring in a strong five-member recruiting class, and Orange coaches are in pursuit of a 6th player in the 2022 cycle.

If I had to usher a guess, I’d say that Boeheim may coach one or two more seasons after the 2022-23 stanza. That would give him a chance to coach the 2022 commits for a couple of years, and Syracuse basketball coaches have offered scholarships to a range of top-flight prospects in the 2023 and 2024 classes as well.

Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim has discussed his future retirement.

Currently in his 46th season as the ‘Cuse head coach, the 77-year-old Boeheim has said in the past that the best way for the Orange program to move forward after he retires is for Syracuse basketball to have someone from inside the ‘Cuse coaching tree leading the squad.

"Regarding the Orange’s succession plan and when he will retire, Boeheim said in part to Axe, “I’m not going to tell you or anybody when this is going to be. We have a plan in place. A good plan. An ironclad plan. It’s not my decision. I’m not naming the coach like people say all the time,” according to comments provided in an article by SyracuseOnSI publisher Mike McAllister."

Now, if Boeheim knows when he is going to retire, and the succession plan is already in place, that suggests to me that one of his current assistant coaches is going to take over.

This is pure speculation on my part, but I would find it hard to imagine that Syracuse University officials would have the next head coach already lined up if this person was an outsider, so to speak.

After Boeheim dropped this news to Axe, I looked around at comments posted by my fellow ‘Cuse fans on social media and in chat rooms.

Fans seem to think that assistant Adrian Autry is most likely to be the next Syracuse basketball head coach, which is logical. The other present Orange assistants are Gerry McNamara and Allen Griffin. Then there’s always the talk centered on former long-time assistant Mike Hopkins, who is the head coach at Washington.

Again, pure speculation on my part, but I just can’t see Hopkins coming back to the east coast. My gut tells me Autry will replace Boeheim, and I’m good with that. Keeping it in the ‘Cuse family, hopefully, will prove a smart decision by university officials, if that’s indeed what they do.