With the introduction of name, image and likeness deals, along with the transfer portal, the NCAA is a brave new world, and longtime Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim says it was too much for some of the country’s top coaches to handle.
Speaking with ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Boeheim lamented what the NCAA has become, saying all the change forced Villanova’s Jay Wright and Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski to call it quits.
“That’s why those guys got out — that’s why Jay got out, Mike got out,” Boeheim said. “That’s the reason they got out. The transfer portal and everything is nuts. It really is.”
Boeheim has seen a lot over nearly a half-century on the bench. Though, the climate in the NCAA seems to be wearing on him as well. Boeheim said college basketball was in an “awful place” before insinuating that programs like Pittsburgh, Wake Forest and Miami bought their teams.
“It’s like, ‘Really, this is where we are?’ Boeheim said. “That’s really where we are, and it’s only going to get worse.”
In his 47th season leading the Orange, Boeheim speculated that he’d return next season when he’ll be 78. Syracuse improved to 14-10 on Saturday after knocking off Boston College, 77-68. They remain tied for eighth in the ACC with a 7-6 conference mark, three games behind first-place Clemson (10-3, 18-6).
Boeheim sounds like an old fuddy-duddy stuck in his ways, which shouldn’t be a surprise for a coach approaching his fifth decade in basketball. However, regardless of Boeheim’s opinion, the transfer portal and NILs are here to stay, whether he likes it or not.
