ESPN Radio Syracuse host, Brent Axe had a big old target on his back, by openly criticizing former Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim. The basketball coach for decades has been one of the most powerful individuals in Central New York. Until Monday, Axe hosted the afternoon drive show in Syracuse, weekdays from 4pm to 6pm. That was until the power of Boeheim finally took the host down.
'Thank you but we'll take it from here' was the message to a legendary college basketball coach with the second most collegiate wins ever. Jim Boeheim's 47-year coaching career put Syracuse basketball on the map. However, Boeheim's tenure wasn't without controversy, including its ending.
How times change. In a little more than four years, paying high school or prep school recruits to choose a particular college or university went from a felony to an encouraged practice.
A few prominent members of the Buffalo Bills were spotted courtside in Syracuse this week, and Upstate New York fans took to Twitter to share their reactions.
Rob McClanaghan always seemed like a go-getter. He was a walk-on for Jim Boeheim at Syracuse and later took his learned skills to becoming a trainer for some of the NBA’s biggest stars. Now McClanaghan is being accused of a horrific crime that allegedly occurred at a Boston hotel last week.
The story is as old as professional sports. Star athletes make it big one day but never plan for tomorrow. Then bad things happen after they can't play anymore and we hear about them in the media. Donte Greene, who played at Syracuse University during the 2007-08 season before leaving for four seasons in the NBA, has just been added to the list of sports figure tragedies.
What a difference a year makes. Carmelo Anthony played for one season at Syracuse University. In that 2002-03 season, Melo averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds, leading head coach Jim Boeheim's team to their third National Championship. Melo left a few months later in the NBA draft as the 3rd overall pick of the Denver Nuggets. However, Anthony will always be on the Mount Rushmore of Syracuse basketball. Now his son may continue that Orange legacy.
In the course of coaching a premier college basketball program for nearly five decades, it would be easy to assume that one would get pretty good at assessing their team's chances from one year to the next. On Wednesday at the ACC Men's Basketball Media Day, Boeheim told several reporters that this year's squad of Orange will go to the Big Dance in March. After suffering his first losing season since taking up the profession at Syracuse, the 77 year-old coach is ready to get his team back to playing tournament basketball.