Syracuse Basketball: Jim Boeheim becomes 'doctor,' then gets his own street, love it

Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim, who guided Syracuse basketball to the national championship in 2003 and went to five Final Fours as the team's legendary head coach, continues to see the awards and honors arrive his way.

Boeheim, who retired in March of 2023 after leading the 'Cuse program for a remarkable 47 seasons, will have a street named after him in a ceremony scheduled for this Friday, June 7, and beginning at 10:30 am, according to a press release from SU Athletics.

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh and others will honor Boeheim on Friday with "Jim Boeheim Way," which is awesome and well-deserved.

From the cuse.com statement: "The street naming will be on Irving Ave., from the intersection of Van Buren Ave. to the north and East Raynor Ave. to the South. The honorary street naming does not replace the existing street name."

This, I must say, is positively wonderful. Among those expected to speak at Friday's ceremony are Boeheim himself, Walsh, Syracuse University vice chancellor Mike Haynie, SU athletics director John Wildhack, current Syracuse basketball head coach Adrian Autry, and Syracuse Common Councilor Corey Williams.

Former Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim deserves all the accolades coming his way.

When Boeheim retired, he was second among Division I head coaches in career victories. He only had one losing campaign in 47 seasons. Throughout his tenure, Boeheim's teams made the NCAA Tournament 35 times, and the Orange advanced to the Sweet 16 on 20 occasions.

Last month, at the 2024 commencement of Syracuse University at the JMA Wireless Dome, Boeheim was recognized with an honorary "doctor of humane letters," another beautiful recognition for him.

Despite having retired as the head coach of Syracuse basketball, Boeheim remains quite busy in his "retirement." On the Hill, he serves as the special assistant to the director of athletics.

During the 2023-24 season, Boeheim was a studio and in-game analyst for the ACC Network. I'm an acknowledged homer, but I really enjoyed listening to him on telecasts. His knowledge of basketball at all levels is unparalleled, in my humble opinion.

Boeheim and his wife, Juli, continue to operate a fabulous organization in Central New York, the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation, whose mission is to "enrich the lives of local children and support the elimination of cancer through research and advocacy," per the foundation's X page.

In late February of this year, at the Dome, as Syracuse basketball hosted Notre Dame, SU Athletics honored the legendary former head coach of the 'Cuse on what was called "Jim Boeheim Day." Tons of former Syracuse basketball stars were in attendance at this event.

I'm excited about the direction that Autry is taking the Orange, but as someone who graduated from Syracuse University in 2000 and is an old-school, Big East guy, I'll always miss seeing Boeheim roam the sidelines.