Jim Boeheim Appreciation thread.

[swish7]

I am 51 and JB has been my Syracuse basketball life. I will miss him.

 

[sutomcat]

No coach has touched me life or given me more moments of joy than James Arthur Boeheim.

It has also been great to listen to his comments on game strategy and player matchups. He is without doubt one of the smartest coaches in the history of college basketball.

Thanks for everything JAB. Happy retirement!

 

[NineOneSeven]

Do you have the bilas take too? Saw it on espn but couldn’t listen.

 

[Fishy]

A Tony Demato from Any Given Sunday move? He gets hired there and brings Judah with him?

Lol.

I think it will take him a little bit to settle into it, but I think his next gig is just being the living legend in and around Syracuse basketball.

Won’t be a bad gig at all.

 

[Stevenson]

Do you have the bilas take too? Saw it on espn but couldn’t listen.

 

[Frozen]

I don’t know of Syracuse basketball without Jim Boeheim. I saw the story about his departure on my phone during a break from work. When I logged back into my laptop, I entered the password: Jimboeheim.123

How do you have Syracuse hoops without him? I don’t know. It’s a new world, a new era. To go 47 years, it’s a long time.

I’m reminded of this line from a Sports Illustrated piece on JB, which was included in the issue they put out after winning the title in 2003:

In the end, even as Carmelo Anthony departs, isn’t that the epitaph Jim Boeheim deserves? HE STAYED.

 

[McNabb2Brominski]

Top 2 JB moments for me:

1. Gmac rant
2. Microphone slap

 

[Consigliere]

Steve and I and a few others remember the 26 straight loses which got Guley fired and brought Lewis who brought Dave Bing to town.

Thank you! Now my 66 doesn’t seem quite so old!

 

[Eric15]

He's one of the most important people in the history of the City of Syracuse. There's a hundred other medium sized US cities just like it, but the reason why Syracuse is more well known is in large part because of him.

 

[MSOrange]

 

[MSOrange]

 

[sdhall01]

I became a true die-hard fan in NYC when we beat UConn in 6 overtimes. I am eternally grateful for Coach Boeheim; we wouldn’t be the same without him. It’s going to feel different in the Dome.

 

[elimunelson]

47
My first game at SU was ironically at Manley vs GW.

Thank you coach. Some of my favorite moments involved you. I was never so excited than being front row in Denver for Georgia and Kansas. Two games I’ll never ever forget.

2003 at the Garden for first two rounds, sweet 16 vs Wisconsin barely squeaking by.

Being in Disney world senior year watching cuse beat Iona on a last second shot screaming in a Disney hotel bar w random dads having beers w us as they took a breather from their kids.

 

[SUMinistry]

I’m 36. Became a Syracuse fan when I was 9. It’s just crazy to me this era is over.

 

[kingtidge]

Bilas Bye-Bye...

 

[llandz]

Started at SU with Roy's Runts. Then JB came in. My whole SU basketball fandom revolved around the man, and what he built. Nothing, nothing will change that. I am excited to see what he built, to be built on top of. Red has a great foundation to work with. Many thanks to JB. You gave me my fandom and a great team to cheer on for many years. I hope you enjoy the changes in your life. Go watch your boys play. Impart your wisdom through the airways of the sports networks. You will not be bored. You have too much to offer still...Just in other ways.

 

[GooseMutt]

Great Leader
Great coach
Great Mentor
Great Player
Great rep of Syracuse University
Great husband
Great dad. Really great dad
Great Community servant
Great love and loyalty to Cuse
Great witty personality
Great golfer which. Other guys may argue. Otherwise
Will always be respected and missed

 

[PAcuse]

I don't think I've ever posted on the Basketball side lol

Thanks for everything Jim, we could not have asked for a better person to care for our Orange for as long as you did!!!
Enjoy whatever comes next for you!

 

[Eric15]

Bilas Bye-Bye...

I'm generally not the type of person to hold grudges, but I really didn't like Bilas' BS a couple of years ago where he basically insinuated that JB was racist re: his comments about Jalen Johnson.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Top 2 JB moments for me:

1. Gmac rant
2. Microphone slap

Hard to pick favorite moments. A great story teller and of course his press conferences were legendary. Because he was "our" coach, occasionally we would have to defend his words and actions.

We watched him evolve. From a nerd who wore plaid jackets and black rimmed glasses, to someone who seemingly changed (at least for a while) when he met this beautiful lady from Kentucky and then won a national championship. All of a sudden this professor became a doctor of zoneology.

The 6 OT game was a feather in his cap. The deep March Madness runs earned him some overdue recognition.

Last Friday and Saturday made for a wonderful weekend. It was a fitting remembrance of a great career. Not sure if the guys knew if it was his last regular season game, but everything was very special. It's too bad we didn't have 35,000 people there.

Like many of you, I'm in my 60's and even though I remember the 75 team that kind of put Syracuse on the map, it's really the Big East and the opening of the Dome and ESPN that made Syracuse basketball and Jim Boeheim and we got to watch the program grow and evolve up close and personal.

Thank you HOFFHCJAB for 60 years of dedication to Syracuse University. As Chevy Chase told us in Caddyshack that the world needs ditch diggers, fortunately, this son of a funeral home director in Lyons, NY decided against going into the family business.

 

[phillydad]

JB stepped on campus in 1962 and except for a few years playing in the Eastern League he never left. His basketball accomplishments are well documented but his loyalty to SU and to the Syracuse, CNY community is what I will always remember.

 

[Scooch]

I got to the Hill in 1991. All of the amazing hoops-related life experiences I got to enjoy in the 32 years since are due to Jim Boeheim and the players he brought to SU.

I got to be on freakin’ TV as a 20 year old, conducting the Sour Sitrus Society at an NCAA tournament game in Provo, Utah because of him.

Thanks for everything, Coach.

 

[illestcuse]

 

[kingtidge]

I'm generally not the type of person to hold grudges, but I really didn't like Bilas' BS a couple of years ago where he basically insinuated that JB was racist re: his comments about Jalen Johnson.

I never got the racist part, but I did think Bilas' take was a poor one. It was almost like it was contrarian for click-bait purposes or something... and I usually liked most of his takes til that point. Otherwise, I find him one of the better pundits and his tournament game-calling with Raff is quality.

 

[JDubbin]

My staff team reached out to check in... after thinking through it I tried to encompass what Boeheim has meant to me