47-season tenure ends for Boeheim
Jim Boeheim enrolled at Syracuse in 1962. Played there until 1966. Started coaching there in 1969. Took over the program as head coach in 1976.
Put simply, he was Syracuse basketball. Until now.
The Basketball Hall of Famer’s 47-year tenure as coach at Syracuse came to an awkward end on Wednesday, with the university saying Orange associate head coach and former Syracuse player Adrian Autry has been promoted to the job. The Orange moved quickly, making the announcement less than three hours after Syracuse lost to Wake Forest in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. And if Boeheim knew the announcement was coming, he didn’t let on at what was his final postgame news conference.
“It’s up to the university,” Boeheim said.
The university didn’t wait long before making the decision public.
Autry has been on Boeheim’s staff since 2011, and held the title of associate head coach since March 2017.
The 78-year-old Boeheim’s record in his 47 seasons, officially, was 1,015-441. That reflects 101 wins taken away by the NCAA for violations.
Whether the count was 1,015 or 1,116, only nowretired Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski had more wins than Boeheim at the Division I level. Boeheim led the Orange to the 2003 national title and four other Final Fours.
In Boeheim’s final game, Daivien Williamson made a game-winning 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds left as Wake Forest beat Syracuse 77-74 at Greensboro, N.C.
BEARD TO OLE MISS?
Former Texas men’s basketball coach Chris Beard has been linked to the Mississsippi job opening since the school fired Kermit Davis on Feb. 24. And according to a report by ESPN, Beard has emerged as the “leading candidate” for the job.
ESPN reported Ole Miss officials are “in the process of doing their due diligence” on Beard, whom Texas fired Jan. 5.
Beard, 49, was arrested Dec. 12 and charged with a third-degree felony for allegedly strangling, biting and scratching his fiancée at their residence in Austin. The case was dismissed on Feb. 15.
Nick Moyle
CONFERENCE USA
Quincy Olivari had 18 points and eight rebounds in Rice's 72-71 victory over UTSA in the opening round at Frisco.
The sixth-seeded Owls (18-14) will meet No. 3 UAB in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
The Roadrunners finish 10-22 after a potential game-winning layup at the buzzer was ruled as coming too late.
SWAC
Davon Barnes scored 19 points as Texas Southern used a 17-0 run in the second half to upset topseeded Alcorn State 66-62 in the quarterfinals at Birmingham, Ala.
John Walker III finished with 13 points, including nine during the game-deciding run that gave TSU a 16-point lead.
The Tigers (12-20) will meet the winner of Thursday’s game between Southern and Alabama A&M in Friday’s semifinals.
SOUTHLAND
Jalen Jackson scored 13 of his season-high 17 points in the second half, Owen Dease added a career-high 16 and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi defeated Northwestern State 75-71 to win its second straight Southland Conference tournament championship at Lake Charles, La.
PATRIOT
Keegan Records scored 21 points, Tucker Richardson had a triple-double and top-seeded Colgate won its third consecutive Patriot League tournament championship with a 79-61 victory over Lafayette at Hamilton, N.Y.