Jim Boeheim reflects on Syracuse tenure, discuses retirement

Syracuse was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament on Wednesday, 77-74, by Wake Forest.

During the postgame press conference, Jim Boeheim engaged in a back-and-forth with the Post-Standard's Donna Ditota about his future with the Orange.

The following is a transcript of what transpired.

Q. Now that the season is over, people are going to naturally wonder about your plans. Have you thought about what you're going to do next year?

JIM BOEHEIM: You know, it's a university. As I've said from day one when I started working here, the university hired me, and it's their choice what they want to do. I always have the choice of retirement, but it's their decision as to whether I coach or not. It always has been.

Again, I've been very lucky to be able to coach my college team, to play and then be an assistant coach and then a head coach, never having to leave Syracuse. It's a great university. The city has embraced our team.

I am amazed that we've been able to draw the fans that we've been able to draw over the years. Steve told me before the game, we were just talking, he said it was amazing, the fans. Last home game, nothing to play for, and there's almost 25,000 people there. I've been just so lucky to be able to coach at Syracuse, a place I love, I place I love to live. People keep wondering about that, but maybe that's a flaw I have.

But I've lived in Syracuse my whole life, and I'll live there hopefully a long time into the future. I think it's a great place. I think sometimes the negativity of people comes to the forefront, and that's life. That's there.

But I've been just unbelievably fortunate to keep this job. Mike Brey is thrilled that he was at Notre Dame 23 years; he's a puppy. I've had 47 years. I got to coach my sons. Two years ago we were in the Sweet 16, and last year I got to coach my sons. I had a great team. I loved that team. Jesse hadn't gotten hurt, would have done obviously better, but that happens.

Then in the fall of that year, we recruited five kids, and it ended up being six. And I made the decision that based on telling them I would recruit them, I would coach them. I don't know if I wasn't going to come back or not prior to that. I hadn't really decided. But when we recruited those kids, and I knew Jesse and Benny and Joe were coming back, and those kids I knew, we'd have a chance to have a good team this year. We were close. I'm happy with what we did. It's not that easy. There's some teams that were picked very high in the country and in the league that didn't fare so well.

I think this team always can do a little better, but we won at Notre Dame by one and we came back against Notre Dame at home to win by a couple, win by one at Louisville. There was a lot of games we did close and we learned. I think we closed this game on the offensive end, we made three really good plays at the end of this game to get there. We just couldn't get a stop at the end.

But I wanted to come back and coach these guys, and that's what I was able to do. The university hasn't offered me anything, whether to work or do anything at the university. That's their choice.

It was great to see Mike Krzyzewski at Duke, and Roy Williams at North Carolina and Mike Brey is going to work for Notre Dame. That's great. I haven't had any conversations about that. I hope that we will. But I've just been lucky to be able to coach this long.

I think you missed it, I gave my retirement speech on the court last Saturday, and I gave it in the press conference afterwards, and nobody except William Payne figured it out.

Q. Are you saying right now that you're going to retire?

JIM BOEHEIM: This is up to the university.

Q. You want to come back?

JIM BOEHEIM: I didn't say that.

Q. So what are you saying? You're not saying you're retiring --

JIM BOEHEIM: I just said it. I don't know.

Q. So you don't know?

JIM BOEHEIM: I said this is up to the university.

Q. You're not sure whether -- how will you make a determination about when you will come back?

JIM BOEHEIM: You're talking to the wrong guy.

Q. I'm just a little confused. Do you want to come back, or did you just announce your retirement without actually announcing your retirement?

JIM BOEHEIM: No, I said it's up to the university. They have to make their decision, and it's up to them. I hope we can come to a good agreement. I mean, that remains to be seen.

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