Syracuse Basketball: It sure seems the end may be here for Jim Boeheim

If I were a betting man (and I’m not), I would wager that long-time Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim roamed the sidelines as the Orange boss for the last time on Wednesday afternoon.

The No. 8 seed ‘Cuse fell in heartbreaking fashion to No. 9 seed Wake Forest at the 2023 ACC Tournament in Greensboro, N.C., on Wednesday.

The Demon Deacons nailed a 3-pointer right before the final buzzer to prevail, 77-74. With that setback, Syracuse basketball dropped to 17-15 during the 2022-23 stanza after finishing the previous year at 16-17.

That’s two straight terms where the Orange is missing post-season play. More and more Syracuse basketball fans are growing frustrated with Boeheim and the state of the ‘Cuse program.

Following his team’s loss to Wake Forest, Jim Boeheim touched on his future with a bunch of rather interesting comments. Per a tweet from Syracuse.com’s Donna Ditota, Boeheim said, “I gave my retirement speech last week and nobody picked up on it.”

Could this be the end for Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim?

In another tweet from Ditota, Boeheim says it’s up to Syracuse University as to whether he returns in 2023-24. Jim Boeheim says that he hasn’t decided what he is going to do, regardless of what SU decides to do.

I’m so confused. Utterly confused.

Separately, in a tweet, Syracuse.com’s Mike Waters wrote, “I think Jim Boeheim just announced his retirement without announcing his retirement.”

Since I began writing for Inside The Loud House in 2016, I’ve penned countless columns where I’ve candidly stated that I’m a proud SU alumnus, I love Syracuse basketball like it’s nobody’s business, and I’m a huge supporter of Jim Boeheim.

All of this remains true. However, based on what has transpired over the past two seasons, and frankly since the Orange joined the Atlantic Coast Conference from the Big East Conference, I think the time has come for Jim Boeheim to call it quits.

After a truly remarkable period from 2009 to 2014, Syracuse basketball has proven a sub-par program since then. The ‘Cuse moved to the ACC in 2013-14.

Save for that first season in the ACC, when the Orange finished at 28-6 overall, the ‘Cuse has slogged through average regular season after average regular season.

Sure, the team advanced to the Final Four in 2016, as well as the Sweet 16 in 2018 and 2021. But this storied program just isn’t the same, and there is a multitude of reasons why.

With college basketball players at the Division I level extremely proficient at shooting from long range, the Orange’s once-vaunted zone defense has become antiquated.

The squad’s recruiting efforts aren’t what they used to be. NIL and the transfer portal have changed the sport immensely. To me, and again I love Jim Boeheim, I don’t believe he has changed as college basketball has changed.

In 2021-22, the ‘Cuse wasn’t good at all, but I did find it special that Boeheim got to coach both of his sons, Buddy and Jimmy. And in 2022-23, Jim Boeheim had the opportunity to coach a roster that included a promising six-member freshman class.

But in recent years, Syracuse basketball has been a middle-of-the-pack group in the ACC. I’m frustrated and disappointed. And I’m not alone in these sentiments.

No one can question what Jim Boeheim has done for Orange hoops. He has the second-most career wins as a head coach in Division I basketball.

He has journeyed to 20 Sweet 16s and five Final Fours. Boeheim captured a national championship in 2003.

That being said, a lot of those achievements are relatively far back in the past.

What is more current is a 17-15 mark this season and a 16-17 record a stanza ago. That won’t cut it.

I love Jim Boeheim. I always have. I always will. And we’ll have to wait and see whether he is going to retire or return for another term.

I never thought I would actually say this, but even though Jim Boeheim is Syracuse basketball, and Syracuse basketball is Jim Boeheim, I respectfully believe that the time is now for him to hang up his whistle.

That being said, I’ll never, ever forget what he has accomplished on the Hill.