Syracuse University Hall of Fame mentor and longtime USA Basketball coach and committee member Jim Boeheim was named on Nov. 28, 2005, one of three assistant coaches for the USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team program for 2006-2008.
"There is no greater honor a basketball coach can have than to coach for your country and to work with such a great staff. I believe the whole country will unite behind this effort to win back the gold medal," said Boeheim.
Since taking control in 1976 of the Syracuse men's basketball program, Boeheim's teams have enjoyed outstanding success.
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 follows Dean Smith, Mike Krzyzewski, Lute Olson, Denny Crum and Jim Calhoun as the only other recipients. 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 in New York City.
In his 32 years (1976-77 through 2007-08), the Orangemen have produced only winning records and have won 20 or more games in 30 of his 32 seasons, and averaged 24.1 wins a season and just 8.7 losses. His 30 20 win or better seasons ranks him tied (Dean Smith) for the most ever.
Syracuse has earned postseason berths (25 NCAA and six NIT) in all but one of Boeheim's seasons. He has pushed the Orangemen to three NCAA Championship game appearances (1987, 1996 and 2003) and 25 NCAA tournaments. Owning a 40-25 (.625 winning percentage) NCAA Tournament record, Boeheim guided the Orange to the 2003 NCAA Championship. He lists tied for eighth all-time for NCAA Tournament wins
Boeheim completed the 2007-08 campaign with a career record of 771-278 (.735). Boeheim is 10th among active Division I coaches in winning percentage, 11th among Division I coaches in wins, and fifth among active coaches, trailing only Eddie Sutton (San Francisco), Lute Olson (Arizona), Mike Krzyzewski (Duke) and Calhoun. Boeheim is 24th on the all-time percentage ledger and 10th among active mentors. Only Dean Smith (North Carolina), Adolph Rupp (Kentucky) and Jim Phelan (Mt. St. Mary’s) have won more games at one Division I school.
Boeheim is also the winningest coach in Big East Conference history with a 342-192 (.640) overall record (regular season and tournament).
He led Syracuse in 2007-08 to a 21-14 mark, a 9-9 record and tie for eighth place finish in the Big East Conference regular season, and to the 2008 NIT quarterfinals.
In 2005-06 he directed Syracuse to a 23-12 overall record, the NCAA Tournament, a Big East Tournament championship and a runner-up finish in the 2005 2K Sports College Hoops Classic. 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. Each of the 26 previous winners posted 3-0 marks in the tournament. Syracuse also became the first number nine seed to win the championship.
During the 2004-05 season, Boeheim earned his 700th collegiate victory and became the 18th coach in NCAA Division I history to reach the milestone. He reached 700 wins in 939 games, the fifth-fastest tally ever in the Division I ranks.
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 coaching post 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.
A three-time Big East Conference Coach of the Year, Boeheim has been honored as District II Coach of the Year 10 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.
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