Syracuse Basketball Head Coach Jim Boeheim had some blunt comments on former Orange recruit Darius Bazley. Will they have any impact on future recruiting?
Syracuse basketball is one of the most consistent programs in the current College Basketball landscape. The Orange are a perennial NCAA tournament team and always a threat to make a deep run in March. Jim Boeheim is the man responsible for this consistent and sometimes juggernaut basketball program. Most college basketball fans do not remember a time when Syracuse did not have the legendary coach at the helm. Boeheim has been the coach for the Orange since the beginning of the 1976 season.
Since 1976, Syracuse’s longest-tenured head coach has put his stamp on this program and has run his signature style of defense. In a world where most coaches prefer to avoid the zone like an illness, the Orange embrace the zone and run is exclusive. Boeheim also has an offense that could be considered anemic at times, but usually gets the job done. Syracuse has never been popular for an overly exciting game. They like to play ugly and win ugly. The winning is something they have done a lot over the legendary coaches’ tenure.
Yesterday afternoon, Boeheim made some comments about a former commit Darius Bazley. The comments pertained to how he felt the former commit received terrible advice when it came to his career. For those who do not know, Bazley was set to enroll at Syracuse this year, however before he signed his letter of intent, he announced that he would be forgoing college and was headed to the G league. It was later decided that Bazley will then forgo the G-League to prep for the 2019 NBA Draft. It is going to be tough for the former McDonald’s All American to find work in the NBA
College is not for everyone, especially if that player believes they can make some money at the pro level. It remains to be seen if Bazley will find work in the NBA. It appears through watching him play and with some of the issues his game presents that he could have used a year or two at the college level. That fact remains true, as does the fact that it was a bad career move for the head coach at Syracuse to publicly call out a player.
This is probably not going to affect Boeheim on the recruiting trail at all. Syracuse already minimizes their available pool of players because of the style they play. Boeheim only recruits’ players who are going to fit his system. His system is adaptable to many different types of players, which is why he is still able to snag some of the top players in the country. If these comments do affect Syracuse on the recruiting trail the effect will be minimal.
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Many pundits believe in the next 5-year cycle Boeheim is going to announce his retirement. The 72-year-old coach was set to retire in April of this year. So why the change of heart? His son Buddy Boeheim committed to play for his Dad. Buddy is a three-star who attended prep school powerhouse Brewster Academy.
Buddy is a great fit for the Syracuse team. His Dad taught him most of what he knows so he will be prepared for the zone and the offense at Syracuse. Buddy is a great three-point shooter capable of making a barrage of three’s quickly. Many close to the younger Boeheim have compared him to former Syracuse guard Andy Rautins. Rautins was also an unranked player who had a tremendous shooting stroke.
The commitment of the younger Boeheim to Syracuse, seemingly prolonged the inevitable fact that Coach Boeheim is approaching his last few years of college basketball. In his illustrious career Boeheim does not have much more that he can accomplish. He has won National Championships, he has won numerous conference championships, appeared in final fours. He has done everything you ask in your coach. He has also won a grand total of 1027 games while at Syracuse.
At this point in his career, Boeheim is going to speak his mind and keep doing things his way. If a recruit gets upset by the comments he has made regarding some bad advice the recruit received. One can assume the criticism was warranted and true.
When his career does come to an end, Syracuse is going to remember their legendary coach by all the glory he brought the school. It will not be because of the recruiting violations or the off-color comments. Boeheim is a legend and will be remembered as such.