NEW YORK (AP) — Reaction to Jim Boeheim’s tenure as basketball coach at Syracuse ending after a 47-year career that included one national championship, five Final Fours and 10 Big East regular-season titles. The Hall of Fame coach’s career ended after a loss Wednesday in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.
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“There will never be another Jim Boeheim. The greatest coach, father, and mentor I could ever ask for. A man that gave a city, program, and university everything he had his whole life with countless accomplishments. Excited for a lot of golf in our future, love you pops (heart emoji) (orange emoji) — Buddy Boeheim, one of the coach’s sons and a former Syracuse player.
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“There is no person more synonymous with Syracuse men’s basketball than legendary head coach Jim Boeheim. Since taking over the program in 1976, Boeheim has guided the Orange to unparalleled success with 35 trips to the NCAA Tournament, five Final Fours and the 2003 National Championship. … We thank and applaud Jim for all he has done for the ACC and college basketball, and we wish him, Juli and their entire family all the best as he enters his next chapter.” — Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner Jim Phillips.
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“I think he’s an icon. He’s one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game. He’s an innovator because he did it different. … It’s an honor. The first time I ever knew anything about Jim Boeheim, I was a freshman in high school in Lone Tree, Iowa, and Iowa beats the Louis and Bouie (Louis Orr and Roosevelt Bouie) show in the Sweet Sixteen in 1980 on the run to the Final Four, and that was really the first time I had really even heard of Syracuse.” — Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes, after the Demon Deacons beat Syracuse in Boeheim’s final game.
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“To know that he’s gone, he’s obviously a legend within the college ranks, a Hall of Famer and somebody that did it the right way. He’ll go down as one of the all-time greats and was somebody that I respected a great deal.” — Miami Heat forward Kevin Love, who was part of USA Basketball teams where Boeheim was an assistant.
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“It’s an honor to play for Coach Boeheim.” — Syracuse’s Benny Williams.
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“I feel grateful that we had Jim Boeheim for so long and that he did such an amazing job and has been such an icon in the game for so long. He started recruiting me when I was 17 years old growing up in Los Angeles. I’ve known him for that long. He’s not only been a friend and a mentor, but one of the truly great coaches in the game’s history. … It has been an amazing career and I feel like celebrating it rather than worrying about how the very end happened.” — ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas.
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“Honestly, I’m surprised. He’s a basketball diehard. He was coaching when I was playing. We talked about that occasionally. He’s an absolutely great guy. He’s a fun guy to be around. I think a lot of times people misunderstand what a really good guy he his and his humor. He’s had an absolutely incredible career from a player at Syracuse to what he’s done, and what he’s won. That’s hard to do. It’s hard to stay at the top like he has.” — West Virginia coach Bob Huggins, now the winningest active Division I coach.
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“A legendary coaching tenure that turned this program into a perennial national power comes to a close after 47 years.” — Syracuse men’s basketball Twitter account
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“A guy who’s been doing what very few people can do for a long time, but to be over 50 years at one university is very special. He’s given his heart and soul to that school. I’m still surprised they don’t have a statue … in the middle of campus. You think of Syracuse University, you think of Jim Boeheim and you think of the Carrier Dome, and now both of those will be gone, which is very sad. But one of the greats, one of the greats.” — Washington men’s basketball coach Mike Hopkins, who was an assistant on Boeheim’s staff for 22 years.
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“There is no doubt in my mind that without Jim Boeheim, Syracuse Basketball would not be the powerhouse program it is today. Jim has invested and dedicated the majority of his life to building this program, cultivating generations of student-athletes and representing his alma mater with pride and distinction. I extend my deep appreciation and gratitude to an alumnus who epitomizes what it means to be ‘Forever Orange.’” — Syracuse Chancellor Kent Syverud
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