It’s hard to believe it’s been over 365 days since we got the announcement that changed the landscape of Syracuse University. Barring a trip to the NIT, which is a legitimate possibility, we’re one season into the post-Jim Boeheim era on the hill.
Who knows what this year’s roster would have looked like if Boeheim remained Head Coach. Do JJ Starling and Naheem McLeod transfer in? Does Judah Mintz come back for a second season? Or, perhaps most pressing, do Joe Girard and Jesse Edwards stay? Boeheim always stood by Girard’s side, even when it came at the expense of other (in some cases fan favorite) players. Also, overshadowed in Boeheim’s last presser was how complementary he was of Edwards’ growth and how he was still scratching the surface. Alas, Girard is about to go to the NCAA Tournament with Clemson while West Virginia’s season with Edwards was a crapshoot.
Make no mistake, it appears as if Boeheim is enjoying his post-coaching life. He’s been on the record saying he doesn’t miss it. We saw Boeheim at just two games in the Dome, the one he was honored in and the one when his former roommate Dave Bing was inducted into the University’s Ring of Honor. That’s not to say Coach has completely stayed away from the game of basketball, working select broadcasts as both a studio analyst and color commentator for the ACC Network. He’s been opinionated as always, what else would you expect?
For as much hypothetical as we could talk about, let’s make it clear that Adrian Autry did an unbelievable job in Boeheim’s stead. 20 regular season wins in your first year as Head Coach replacing a legend is not easy, especially when you deal with the turmoil that this program went through. Chance Westry‘s pre-season injury, McLeod going down in the middle of the year, and Benny Williams‘ dismissal aren’t exactly small hurdles. Sure, you can miss Boeheim, but Autry deserves all the applause in the world.
Honestly, what we saw out of Autry this year, it didn’t really look like what we saw from Boeheim near the end of his career. We didn’t see moments like Autry’s Wake Forest presser from Boeheim later on. Would Williams have lasted beyond the Wake game if Boeheim was still in charge? How much different would this season have looked if he let it ride one more year?
By every measure, it certainly seemed like it was time for a coaching change. This season boosted faith for the program’s future under Autry by every measure too. But when we hit one-year milestones like this, it’s at minimum interesting to reflect.
