Jim Boeheim, the Hall of Fame Syracuse coach known for his zone defense and the national championship he won in 2003 with the star freshman Carmelo Anthony, is no longer the team’s coach after 47 seasons, university officials said on Wednesday.
Adrian Autry, a former player for Boeheim who has been the men’s basketball team’s associate head coach since 2017, was named as his successor.
It was not immediately clear whether Boeheim had retired or been fired, but news of his exit came hours after Syracuse lost, 77-74, in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament to Wake Forest, on a 3-pointer in the game’s final second by Daivien Williamson.
The performance prompted criticism of Boeheim, 78, on social media as well as on the game’s television broadcast, and Boeheim himself hinted at retirement as he spoke with reporters after the game but also said it was up to the university to determine whether he should come back as coach next season.
“The university hired me and it’s their choice what they want to do,” Boeheim said hours before the university announced his replacement.
Boeheim did not respond to messages seeking further comment.
Boeheim coached his sons, Buddy and Jimmy, last season and when both players exhausted their N.C.A.A. eligibility, some fans thought it would be the perfect time for their father to follow them out the door. But Boeheim said he was coming back and had indicated at times that he could coach into his 80s.
“Because we’re having a bad year, you want me to quit? I don’t quit cause we’re having a bad year,” Boeheim said last year. “I’ll be coaching next year.”
Boeheim is the fourth Naismith Hall of Fame coach to leave the men’s Division I ranks in the last three seasons, following North Carolina’s Roy Williams, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski and Villanova’s Jay Wright. Together, the coaches won 11 national championships. After Williams retired following the 2021 season, Krzyzewski and Wright stepped down after last season.
“There is no doubt in my mind that without Jim Boeheim, Syracuse Basketball would not be the powerhouse program it is today,” Kent Syverud, the university’s chancellor, said in a statement.
Under Boeheim, the Orange won the N.C.A.A. Division I men’s basketball tournament in 2003 with the talents of Anthony, who went on to be a superstar in the N.B.A. Although Boeheim won only a single national championship, his teams regularly made the N.C.A.A. tournament and he made the Final Four in five seasons.
But after reaching the round of 16 in 2021, the Orange failed to make the tournament last year, and with a 17-15 record following Wednesday’s loss they are not projected to make it this season (the selections for the N.C.A.A. tournament are scheduled to be unveiled on Sunday).
Some fans became increasingly disgruntled with the poor results, Boeheim’s insistence on playing his trademark zone defense and his inability to consistently land top recruits.
