The poet George Herbert said that “living well is the best revenge.” The Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team earning a trip to the Elite 8 in the NCAA tournament is clearly living well. Head coach Jim Boeheim declared, possibly boastfully, that “nobody that said we didn’t deserve to be in [the NCAA tournament] obviously doesn’t know anything about basketball.”
Jim Boeheim’s Revenge: Syracuse Orange Living Well in NCAA Tournament
Boeheim has just endured what many consider his most difficult season as head coach in 40 years. In March 2015, the Syracuse basketball program had 108 wins vacated by the NCAA, lost scholarships and Boeheim was suspended for nine games in the current season. Boeheim could not have any contact with his team that went 4-5 in his absence.
His Family Didn’t Want to be Near Jim Boeheim During Syracuse Games
But worse, what does a “lifer” basketball coach do when they cannot have any contact with the team that he has been intimately involved with? Boeheim plays golf, but golf days are hard to come by in Utica, New York in December and January. Boeheim admitted to Dan Patrick that he “was very quiet” and his family did not want to be near him when he watched his team struggling during those nine games.
In the current tournament, it may seem all worthwhile and Boeheim has to be enjoying living well. His team is led by seniors Trevor Cooney, DaJuan Coleman and Michael Gbinije and three exciting freshman, Tyler Lydon, Malachi Richardson and Franklin Howard. Syracuse is only using a seven-man rotation.
10th Seeded Orange Face Top Seed Virginia Sunday
The tenth seeded Orange are facing the top seeded Virginia Cavaliers Sunday. The Cavaliers may end up too much for the Orange and likely will not be as stymied by Syracuse’s 2-3 zone and surprise pressure like Gonzaga on Friday. Even if the Syracuse run ends Sunday, Boeheim has endured a long and grueling season and still come out living well.
