Syracuse Basketball: Firing Adrian Autry before season's end is not the right move

Okay, my friends, let's all take a collective deep breath.

It's a delicate, sensitive time on the Hill for Syracuse men's basketball. As the team prepares to battle N.C. State on Tuesday night in Raleigh, N.C., the Orange is struggling. The fan base is angry, frustrated and sad. Players aren't happy. Coaches aren't happy. No one is happy.

It would be easy for SU athletics director John Wildhack to make a change right now and fire head coach Adrian Autry, but I don't think Wildhack will do that, and it's also not the right move to make.

Sure, letting go of Autry before the 2025-26 season is over will appease some fans and calm down the fan base, and I get the importance of having fans being less negative regarding the program. However, the most appropriate course of action, in my humble opinion, is to ride out the rest of 2025-26 with Autry and his staff in place and then go from there.

Here's why.

Firing Syracuse basketball head coach Adrian Autry now isn't logical.

First and foremost, while we're all bemoaning how the Orange is playing these days, and the team's inability to make the NCAA Tournament dating back to 2021, I can't imagine that the 'Cuse will all of a sudden perform better if Autry is gone.

One of the assistant coaches would likely serve as the interim head coach, but would that improve the situation? Some fans are suggesting on social media that if Autry is fired, the players will respond and play better. I completely disagree. These players are extremely loyal to Autry and his staff, and a head coaching change now wouldn't make anything better.

Plus, if Autry is let go after season's end, my assumption is that his assistant coaching staff would also be removed, so what's the logic in having Syracuse basketball players suit up for an assistant as the interim head coach for a handful of games, when that assistant likely won't be here next year anyway? Just let Red finish 2025-26 out.

As I've noted in other columns and also on my podcast, if Wildhack is thinking about a head coaching change, he's probably having conversations with potential candidates and/or their agents now. I can't imagine that if Autry were fired today, the Orange would be able to hire a new head coach anyway until after the regular season is over.

I could be wrong in that regard, but candidates are likely coaching at other schools and would not be in a position to just bolt on their teams mid-season.

The 'Cuse 2025-26 season could be over by mid-March, and the transfer portal will open after the national championship game of the NCAA Tournament, which is on Monday, April 6. A roster can be built quickly, and to reiterate, it's not like Wildhack is going to wait until after the regular season is over to begin dialogues about a new head coach, if he's letting go of Autry.

We're all frustrated, and a head coaching change now would appease some fans, but it's not the way to go.