Jim Boeheim addresses coaching future at Syracuse

As Mike Krzyzewski embarks on his farewell tour at Duke, Syracuse apparently has a plan of its own for Jim Boeheim’s eventual retirement. That’s what Boeheim said Wednesday, at least.

Boeheim called into On The Block on ESPN Radio and confirmed just that. The Orange have a succession plan in place for when Boeheim retires — but he didn’t say much else besides that.

“I’m not going to tell you or anybody when this is going to be,” Boeheim told host Brent Axe. “We have a plan in place. A good plan. An ironclad plan. It’s not my decision. I’m not naming the coach like people say all the time. I had no input in any AD that’s every been hired here, any associate AD that’s ever been hired here. Even the AD that oversees basketball, I’ve never had input into that. None.”

The comments came just a few days after Boeheim refused to address his retirement after the Orange’s loss to Duke on Saturday. He had some poignant comments about the subject, too.

“Whoever said I wasn’t,” Boeheim said when asked if he was planning to return to Syracuse next season. “You don’t need to ask this. It’s been asked and asked 26 thousand times. Every press conference I gave in the beginning of the year is I have no intentions of not coaching. I’ve said it 30 times. Just because we’re having a bad year you want me to quit? I don’t quit because we’re having a bad year.

“So I told every recruit, we have a pretty good recruiting here today, I’ve told every one of them I’ll be coaching next year. So I don’t know what you need me to do or say. I mean, I guess you don’t get it.”

More on Jim Boeheim, Syracuse

Back in the 1976-1977 season, Boeheim began his head coaching career at Syracuse. He immediately led the Orange to three NCAA Tournament appearances, and Syracuse made the tournament again after winning the Big East regular season title in his fourth year.

In his 45-year head coaching career, Boeheim is the second winningest Division I head coach in the history of college basketball. His 982 wins in 45 seasons trail just Mike Krzyzewski, who has 1,170 career wins in 46 seasons. Syracuse has made a postseason tournament in all but three of his seasons as head coach, and the Orange have made 34 appearances in the NCAA Tournament. The Orange have also made the Final Four under Boeheim in 1987, 1996, 2003, 2013, and 2016. Syracuse won the national title in the 2003 season.

Syracuse has two games remaining on the regular season schedule. The Orange head to Chapel Hill to take on UNC on Monday night, before hosting Miami on Saturday to wrap up the regular season.

On3’s Jonathan Wagner contributed to this report.