Fire Autry

[DilemaCuse]

You're right it was Februay 4, 2023. I joined this site the next day. I had thought it took a few days to do so. I'm not sure he knew his time was running out. He sounded VERY arrogant about it in that interview if I recall.

He did sound arrogant and my jaw dropped at what he said and I figured Jim had lost all perspective at that point

 

[Chip]

The old "JB prefered GMac" rumor is so old it's grown hair by now.

Nobody has ever provided a video or a link to a story that backs it up.

I think it's just message board BS.

“My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw JB holding hands with GMac at 31 Flavors last night. I guess it's pretty serious.”

Yeah, but everyone believed Ferris was sick. They even put it on a water reservoir.

 

[Scooch]

It's not a "rumor," but it is misrepresented on here often.

Fact: JB approached ADJW about setting up a new HCIW arrangement, with GMac as the successor. JW politely declined that arrangement. Don't know that it went any further than that, but it was floated by JB.

When did that happen?

 

[Sherman20]

He’s not on this list. There will be a lot of competition for Hodgson et al.

lol. We will be able to beat most of these programs for the coach of our choice, except for maybe Oregon which has alot of Phil Knight cash. I don’t think Altman is going anywhere though. Im sorry you think so little of SU.

 

[Sherman20]

really great point. why would Red be the Associate HC and not Gerry then?

Because Red had many more years of experience than Gerry as a coach and was a good recruiter with lots of key DMV connections.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

It's not a "rumor," but it is misrepresented on here often.

Fact: JB approached ADJW about setting up a new HCIW arrangement, with GMac as the successor. JW politely declined that arrangement. Don't know that it went any further than that, but it was floated by JB.

Were you personally in the room with JW and JB when this alleged conversation happened?

Or are you claiming it's a FACT because someone else gave you bad info and you believed them.

 

[Eric15]

I think of the first game I watched as an admitted student my senior year of hs. Syracuse / Kentucky at the dome 1994.

Ironically it was Autry who made the biggest play of that game. An And 1 with a little time remaining.

P.S. the Dome was just so much cozier with that wonderful blue curtain.

 

[SUFan44]

It's not a "rumor," but it is misrepresented on here often.

Fact: JB approached ADJW about setting up a new HCIW arrangement, with GMac as the successor. JW politely declined that arrangement. Don't know that it went any further than that, but it was floated by JB.

If that arrangement was declined and we ended up with Autry, then I know all I need to about JW.

McNamara had been with the program as a coach a year longer than Autry (as graduate manager), and just as long as an assistant coach.

Why was Autry promoted to associate head coach when he was? I can't answer that. But the fact that Gerry was the preference of JB -- who knows what works at SU -- and was told kick rocks, bad look, associate head coach > assistant coach, is not good.

Peter Principle in full effect.

 

[RF2044]

Were you personally in the room with JW and JB when this alleged conversation happened?

Or are you claiming it's a FACT because someone else gave you bad info and you believed them.

Yeah, OrangeXtreme -- you know me, passing bad information to the board left and right.

Exhibit A of why many choose to not post inside info anymore.

People are free to choose whether to believe the information or doubt it -- up to them. But what I am saying is 100% factual. That conversation did take place. No, I'm not going to reveal my source.

 

[Sherman20]

Yes, except for when Hop was HC in waiting, I don't think JAB ever had a plan to leave. Especially, when he had a chance to coach his sons, and then after that, he wanted to go out a winner.

In retrospect, he should have retired in 2021 after losing to Houston in the Sweet Sixteen. That would have been a good exit. Instead he stayed to coach Jimmy.

2021 would have been the perfect time for him to retire and go out on top. But most definitely 2022 after Buddy and Jimmy graduated. At that point, we had at least made the tourney four out of previous seven years. Now we’re in a real drought. And he shouldn’t have insisted on one of his guys succeeding him. The selfless thing to do would have been to say, you all should do a National search. But he got the job as an assistant so he was convinced that could still work nearly 50 years later. As if the game isn’t completely different now.

 

[baggerbob]

I think the school should use an outside advisor along with a search committee. Chancellor and BoT should only have final vote of approval. I have no faith the university can run a wholly internal process that will result in a high quality head coach.

I don't feel good that the BOT might not approve of the person JW wants as the next head coach.

 

[orangmannc1]

And if you didnt think he could succeed, why did you have him on staff all these years?

JB obviously had reservations about his ability yet kept him around. JB was totally checked out at the end and the results showed.

There are optics involved as well. Putting GMac higher in the pecking order over Autry would be problematic.

 

[Sherman20]

If that arrangement was declined and we ended up with Autry, then I know all I need to about JW.

McNamara had been with the program as a coach a year longer than Autry (as graduate manager), and just as long as an assistant coach.

Why was Autry promoted to associate head coach when he was? I can't answer that. But the fact that Gerry was the preference of JB -- who knows what works at SU -- and was told kick rocks, bad look, associate head coach > assistant coach, is not good.

Peter Principle in full effect.

This is incorrect. Red had been an assistant at Virginia Tech for several years before Syracuse and had coached on the high school level as well. He was also hired to replace Rob Murphy before Gmac joined the staff. Grad assistant doesn’t count.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Yeah, OrangeXtreme -- you know me, passing bad information to the board left and right.

Exhibit A of why many choose to not post inside info anymore.

People are free to choose whether to believe the information or doubt it -- up to them. But what I am saying is 100% factual. That conversation did take place. No, I'm not going to reveal my source.

Not asking you to reveal your source.

Clearly, you weren't the guy in the room where it happened.

Which makes this alleged convo "third party hearsay" and inadmissible in court.

 

[RF2044]

Not asking you to reveal your source.

Clearly, you weren't the guy in the room where it happened.

Which makes this alleged convo "third party hearsay" and inadmissible in court.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Nice sleuthing, Matlock.

We talking Andy Griffith Matlock, or Kathy Bates?

 

[Sherman20]

My only quibble is that I firmly believe hiring Autry was a key component in getting JB to "retire". I believe the two things were very much linked, not that JB was forced out and then Red was hired.

If not for coercing JB to step down by hiring one of his guys to follow him, JB would have refused and forced SU to fire him. There wouldn't have been a gracious transfer of power. There would have been a press conference about SU terminating their legendary HC. There would have been endless news cycles of former players trashing the school.

We can debate if that was the right approach, but it seems clear to me that SU did not want that kind of press, so they did what they did.

This exactly. JB engendered a lot of loyalty from former players and staff and folks in the media who are SU grads. Plus he had lots of loyalists and friends on the board like Tirico, Gold, etc., who didn’t want to make him look bad. It seems like a tough situation to navigate.

 

[RF2044]

We talking Andy Griffith Matlock, or Kathy Bates?

The former!!! Beat me to that update.

OX, I'm not "mad" that you are calling this out, but if you think that is "bad" info, then agree to disagree.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

The former!!! Beat me to that update.

OX, I'm not "mad" that you are calling this out, but if you think that is "bad" info, then agree to disagree.

It doesn't matter anyways.

JW owns the Autry decision in 2023, and in about a month JW will own the next decision.

I can almost guarantee that half the board won't like the next hire at first.

I'm not even paying attention to all the names that are being mentioned. That way, I can judge the new coach clearly on his results in 2026-27 without any preconceived biases.

 

[Scooch]

It doesn't matter anyways.

JW owns the Autry decision in 2023, and in about a month JW will own the next decision.

I can almost guarantee that half the board won't like the next hire at first.

I'm not even paying attention to all the names that are being mentioned. That way, I can judge the new coach clearly on his results in 2026-27 without any preconceived biases.

I always find it funny when people get attached to a certain guy as a possible new hire and then b!tch when said guy doesn’t get hired. Like they’re any more able to divine who will be a successful HC than anyone else.

Seems like most of the folks now stumping for someone know the dude’s record over the past 3 years and not much else.

 

[SUFan44]

This is incorrect. Red had been an assistant at Virginia Tech for several years before Syracuse and had coached on the high school level as well. He was also hired to replace Rob Murphy before Gmac joined the staff. Grad assistant doesn’t count.

He was a fullt-time assistant coach at Va Tech for one year. DOBO for a year or two before that at VT - not coaching.

Adrian was a high school coach.

Regardless, we're splitting hairs. He and GMac had been on campus for roughly the same amount of time, and for the majority of that time they were fully recruiting assistant coaches.

If we're being honest, neither one of them should have sniffed the job due to the fact that the program was already free falling. But while JB is absolutely at fault for staying too long and did not help matters in his final years, I would have took him at his word if he felt GMac was a better option for Coach In Waiting than Autry.

 

[SUfanNC]

They also don't run them with purpose or discipline. We run the sets to go through the motions, not to accomplish anything. Like many times, they run a set, and Donnie will have a guard or someone smaller on him in the post, and they don't even look at him. What are you running a set for if not to get a mismatch on your best player? It’s like they are running a set but have no clue why or what they are trying to do by running the set.

Donnie had the guard on him at the foul line and didn’t know what to do. He did a spin and took a terrible shot. I would think the offense should gel better at this point in the season.

 

[orangepassion]

It doesn't matter anyways.

JW owns the Autry decision in 2023, and in about a month JW will own the next decision.

I can almost guarantee that half the board won't like the next hire at first.

I'm not even paying attention to all the names that are being mentioned. That way, I can judge the new coach clearly on his results in 2026-27 without any preconceived biases.

I feel pretty confident that the overwhelming majority would be happy with a Schertz hire.

 

[Cusefan95]

This exactly. JB engendered a lot of loyalty from former players and staff and folks in the media who are SU grads. Plus he had lots of loyalists and friends on the board like Tirico, Gold, etc., who didn’t want to make him look bad. It seems like a tough situation to navigate.

This is why people complaining about the hiring of Red and blaming JW are not dealing with reality. The guy to blame is JB, he made this as difficult and painful a process as possible - and he effectively destroyed the program he built in the process. It would have been nice if he could have bowed out with some grace like Coach K. Syracuse basketball might not be in a better spot right now if he had - but we would have at least had a shot at it. And if we were in the same spot, blaming JW would be warranted.

 

[IthacaMatt]

"At the time," JB had already been mouthing off that ENTIRE YEAR, and had garnered a significant amount of coverage from the sports media every time he said something controversial. He was being made fun of the in sports media, seemingly every other press conference.

So if he'd thrown a tantrum at the end, and bad mouthed SU? That would have sucked, it would have garnered some minor coverage with the sports media at large making fun of him some more, and then it would have been over. Band aid ripped off.

This is absolutely right. Boeheim was being a petulant ass in the media at every opportunity. This was the time of his famous press conference tirade, "I decide when I am finished coaching, nobody else." That, IMO, was the final straw with the Board.