Jim Boeheim

Jim Boeheim, Syracuse University’s Hall of Fame mentor and longtime USA Basketball coach and committee member, returns for 2013-16 to the USA sidelines for a third stint as an assistant coach for the USA Basketball Men’s National Team.

“I've had a number of tremendous coaching experiences in the game of basketball and certainly working on the staff for the USA Basketball Men's National Team has been one of them,” said Boeheim. “I know we are all excited to get the group together again and work toward winning a third straight gold medal.

“I can't imagine a greater honor for a coach than having the opportunity to represent your country in international competition and especially at the Olympics.”

Assisting on the USA sidelines in 2010-12, those USA National Teams finished a sterling 26-0. Boeheim helped the Americans to a 9-0 record and gold medal finish in the 2010 FIBA World Championship, then helped direct the Americans to a perfect 8-0 mark and a second straight gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics.

Boeheim was also an assistant coach for the USA National Team program during the three summers between 2006-08 and aided the program to a striking 36-1 overall win-loss record and just as importantly reestablished the USA team and its members as positive ambassadors for the United States and the sport. The USA squad culminated the quadrennium by finishing 8-0 to reclaim the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the USA’s first gold in a major international competition since 2000. The USA National Team also won gold at the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship with a 10-0 record to qualify the U.S. men for the 2008 Olympic Games. In the program’s first year, the U.S. captured the bronze medal with an 8-1 record at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan.

Since taking control in 1976 of the Syracuse men's basketball program, Boeheim's teams have enjoyed overwhelming success. In his 37 seasons as a head coach, Boeheim has a career record of 920-314 (.746).

In his 37 years (1976-77 through 2012-13) as SU’s head coach, Boeheim has a career record of 920-314 (.746). With Boeheim at the helm, Syracuse has amazingly produced only winning records and has won 19 or more games in 36 of his 37 seasons, and averaged 24.9 wins a season and just 8.5 losses. His 35 20 win or better seasons ranks him first for the most ever, and his teams have won 30 more games six times.

Syracuse has earned postseason berths (30 NCAAs and six NITs) in all but one of Boeheim's 37 seasons. He has steered the Orange to 17 Sweet 16 appearances, nine Elite Eights, four NCAA Final Fours (1987, 1996, 2003 and 2013), three NCAA Championship game appearances (1987, 1996 and 2003), and the national title in 2003. In his 30 NCAA tournament appearances his teams have compiled an impressive 52-29 (.642 winning percentage) NCAA Tournament record. He lists fourth all-time for NCAA Tournament wins.

Boeheim, who owns the most Division I wins at one school (920), currently ranks second for career wins by a men's NCAA Division I coach, listing only behind long-time friend and USA head mentor Krzyzewski. Boeheim earned win 903 on Jan. 3, 2013, to move ahead of legend Bobby Knight on the NCAA’s Division I all-time coaching wins list, and claimed his 880th win on Feb. 8, 2012, surpassing Dean Smith's 879 wins at North Carolina, for the most career wins as head coach at a single school.

Boeheim is also the winningest coach in Big East Conference history, Boeheim has compiled a 413-220 mark in Big East regular season games over 34 seasons, and is 50-29 in Big East Conference Tournament games having claimed the tournament crown five times and having played in the tournament title game 15 times.

Finishing with a record of 30-10 in 2012-13, Boeheim’s Syracuse squad advanced to the championship game of the 2013 Big East Conference Tournament and to the 2013 NCAA Final Four.

He led Syracuse in 2011-12 to a 34-3 overall mark, a Big East Conference regular season championship with a 17-1 record, and to the 2012 NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen. Additionally, the Orange ranked No. 1 during the season. Syracuse became just the second team in Big East history to go 17-1 in the league. The ‘Cuse also set school records for most regular season victories, the most wins to start a season (20) and most home wins since the opening of the Carrier Dome (19).

Inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in September 2005, Boeheim was the 2006 recipient of the John R. Wooden “Legends of Coaching” honor. He also was selected the “Spirit of Jimmy V” honoree by the V Foundation for Cancer Research at its second annual Gala held April 21, 2005, in New York City.

Boeheim has been recognized for his outstanding coaching by being named as the 2009-10 Coach of the Year by The Associated Press, FoxSports.com, the National Association of Basketball Coaches, Naismith, Sporting News, the United States Basketball Writers Association and Yahoo!Sports.

A four-time Big East Conference Coach of the Year, Boeheim has been honored as District II Coach of the Year 11 times by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). During the 2000 Final Four he was presented with the Claire Bee Award in recognition of his contributions to the sport. In the fall of 2000, he received Syracuse University's Arents Award, the school's highest alumni honor. On Feb. 24, 2002, Syracuse University named the Carrier Dome court “Jim Boeheim Court” in recognition of his many accomplishments.

In 2005-06 he directed Syracuse to a 23-12 overall record, the NCAA Tournament and a Big East Tournament Championship. In winning the 2006 Big East Tournament, Syracuse became the first team in the 27-year history of the Big East Tournament to claim the championship with four victories and the first number nine seed to win the championship.

A native of Lyons, N.Y., Boeheim enrolled at Syracuse in 1962 and was a walk-on with the basketball team. By Boeheim's senior season, he was a team captain along with the legendary Dave Bing. The Orangemen finished 22-6 overall that year and earned the team’s second-ever NCAA Tournament berth. Syracuse compiled a 55-24 record (.696 winning percentage) with Boeheim a member of their teams.

After graduating with a bachelor's degree in social science, Boeheim played professionally with Scranton of the Eastern League. He was a member of two championship squads and earned all-star second-team honors.

In 1969 he turned to a career in coaching and was hired as a graduate assistant at Syracuse by head coach Roy Danforth. He was soon promoted to a full-time assistant and was part of the staff that guided the Orangemen to the program's first Final Four appearance in 1975. A year later he was appointed head coach at his alma mater. Syracuse compiled a record of 139-65 while he was an assistant.

Boeheim also possesses plenty of international coaching experience, having served on 12 USA Basketball coaching staffs.

Boeheim, in addition to his assistant coaching duties with the 2006-08 and 2010-12 USA National Teams, led the 2001 USA Basketball Young Men's Team to the gold medal at the FIBA World Championship For Young Men in Japan, and later that fall was named the USA Basketball 2001 National Coach of the Year. Boeheim also served as head coach of the 2000 World Championship for Young Men Qualifying Team that finished with a 4-1 record and the silver medal. In 1998 he led the USA Junior World Championship Qualifying Team to a gold medal and 6-0 finish, and in 1982 guided the U.S. Olympic Festival East Team to a 2-2 finish and the silver medal.

He also served as an assistant coach on USA Basketball coaching staffs for the 1990 World Championship Team (6-2 / bronze medal); 1990 Goodwill Games Team (3-2 / silver medal); and 1989 World University Games (6-0 / gold medal).

Boeheim has served as chair of the USA Basketball Men's Junior National Team Committee since 2005, and was a member of the 10-member committee for 2001-2004.

He and his wife, Juli, are parents of James Arthur Boeheim, III, and twins Jack and Jamie. Jim also has a daughter, Elizabeth.