The Syracuse Orange fell to 15-14 after a 25-point home loss to Duke on Saturday, and it was bad enough to prompt a question about Jim Boeheim’s future.
Saturday’s loss dropped the Orange to 9-9 in conference play, and the team appears likely to miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017. That apparently prompted one reporter to ask Boeheim whether he would be the team’s coach next year, which prompted a surly response.
“You don’t need to ask this. But ask and answer. 26,000 times,” Boeheim said, via Dean Straka of 247 Sports. “Every press conference I gave you at the beginning of the year was I have no intentions of not coaching. I’ve said it 30 times. Because we’re having a bad year, you want me to quit? I don’t quit because we have a bad year. So I told every recruit … that I’ll be coaching next year. So I don’t know what you need me to do or say.”
Syracuse consistently remains an NCAA Tournament team, but they have not fielded a title contender consistently in recent years. In some circles, it has prompted some to question whether the 77-year-old Boeheim is still the best coach for the school. Boeheim, who is known for his bluntness, has responded to those questions consistently like this. Still, asking after such a blowout loss feels like salt in the wound.
