Syracuse Basketball: Many former 'Cuse stars attend Jim Boeheim Day - just beautiful

Some of the biggest stars in the history of the Syracuse basketball program were in attendance on Saturday afternoon as the Orange hosted Notre Dame on Jim Boeheim Day.

Seeing that kind of support for the legendary Hall of Famer Boeheim was just lovely to see. Boeheim retired last March after amassing more than 1,000 career victories as a head coach, winning a national championship in 2003, reaching five Final Fours and only having one losing season during his 47 years guiding the 'Cuse.

With an enthusiastic and large crowd on hand at the JMA Wireless Dome, Boeheim's former teammate and SU roommate, Dave Bing, was seen on the ESPN broadcast sitting next to Boeheim and his wife, Juli.

Another all-time Syracuse basketball great, Sherman Douglas, spoke with the current Orange team at a practice on Friday, per a post on X from 'Cuse play-by-play announcer Matt Park. That's really cool stuff from The General. #CuseFamily

Tons of former Syracuse basketball players were in the house to support Jim Boeheim.

Former Orange players shown on the ESPN broadcast as being at the Dome on Saturday afternoon included Tyus Battle, Mookie Jones and Brandon Triche, who has the most wins ever for a player at the program.

According to a post on X from Mike Waters of Syracuse.com, others who were on hand included Douglas, Danny Schayes, Rafael Addison and Lawrence Moten ("Poetry"), who is the all-time leading scorer in Syracuse basketball history.

Waters said that he also confirmed others who would be at the Dome included Billy Owens, Tony Bruin and Wendell Alexis, among others. The ESPN broadcast team also showed Roosevelt Bouie, Leo Rautins and DaJuan Coleman there. Famous announcer Mike Tirico, an SU alum who now works for NBC Sports, was also in the house.

As I noted in a column on Saturday morning, three Orange recruiting targets unofficially visited the 'Cuse for this Atlantic Coast Conference encounter. They were 2025 four-star Sadiq White Jr., a 6-foot-8 forward from Charlotte, N.C., 2025 four-star Matthew Gilhool, a 6-foot-10 power forward/center from the Philadelphia area, and 2026 four-star Deron Rippey Jr., a 6-foot-2 point guard from Brooklyn, N.Y.

On the ESPN broadcast, there was a video shown of Orange legend Carmelo Anthony, who helped guide Syracuse basketball to the program's only national title in 2003. Anthony praised Boeheim for his longevity on the Hill, and what he has done for Syracuse hoops, the sport of basketball as a whole, and the Central New York community.

Boeheim, who these days is an analyst for ESPN and the ACC Network, participated in the broadcast for a bit on Saturday afternoon. He talked about the wonderful 'Cuse fans, how Bing changed the course of the program, how he loved coaching his sons, Buddy and Jimmy, how the ACC is under-valued, that the NCAA NET rankings are ridiculous, how first-year head coach Adrian Autry has done an "amazing job" in the 2023-24 campaign, and how the Orange has a "shot" at the NCAA Tournament if it can win several more games, among other topics.

Oh, and regarding Saturday afternoon's affair, Syracuse basketball built up a 29-point lead in the first half. The Fighting Irish stormed back, but the 'Cuse managed to hold on, 88-85. Phew.

Up next, the Orange (18-10, 9-8 in the ACC) will host Virginia Tech on Tuesday night, in the final home game for the 'Cuse during the 2023-24 regular season.

Orange Nation loves you, Jim Boeheim.