SYRACUSE, New York – Syracuse coach Jim Boheim said Wednesday that he has a plan when he retires.
Boeheim, in an interview with ESPN Radio in Syracuse, did not reveal any details about the agreement, because it could have an effect on recruitment. He said the university would decide when to make it public and expected to contribute to the election of his deputy.
“There is a plan,” Boheim said. “I’m just telling you there is a plan.”
Boheim, who at 77 is the second most profitable coach in the history of Division I with 997 victories, behind only Mike Krzyzewski of Duke, is at the end of his 46th season. He has repeatedly said that he intends to train next season with a handful of freshmen who will enroll.
“I think if I say I’m giving up now that I’ve given my word to these players, it will look like, ‘Oh, they had a bad year, so he’s just going to give up,'” Boheim said Saturday night after an unexpected loss at home from Duke. “It simply came to our notice then. Maybe not to you. Maybe not someone else’s. But I would see that. “He has given his word to these players, he is healthy, he feels great, but they are having a bad year, so he will just give up.”
Syracuse (15-15) has one more game left in the regular season, against Miami on Saturday at the Carrier Dome, before the ACC tournament begins. Boheim has never had a losing season.
“At the end of the day, I can promise you that I am trying to leave this program in the best position it can be when I leave,” Boheim said. “I think we can do it.”
This is the second plan for Boheim’s retirement. When Syracuse was hit by NCAA sanctions in 2015 and Boheim lost 101 of its victories, former assistant coach Mike Hopkins was determined to succeed him. Instead, after 25 years on the program as a player and coach, Hopkins abruptly left in March 2017, when he was offered a job in Washington and Boheim continued to coach the Orange.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.