Jim Boeheim blasts Syracuse's 'best players' for Adrian Autry's firing

Field Level Media|published: Thu 12th March, 12:22 2026

Oct 14, 2022; Syracuse, New York, US; Syracuse Orange associate head coach Adrian Autry (left) and assistant coach Gerry McNamara (center) and head coach Jim Boeheim (right) watch the action at the Orange Tip Off at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Adrian Autry was unsuccessful as the successor to Jim Boeheim at Syracuse with 49 wins in three seasons before he was fired this week.

Boeheim believes Autry is a winning coach and suggested the Orange didn't get enough from their best players this season.

"His two best players had horrible years," Boeheim told ACC Network. "If you take any team in this league, and you take their two best players and they have really, really bad years -- like Cam Boozer and Isaiah Evans have a bad year at Duke -- they don't win. That's what happened this year at Syracuse. His two best players just didn't play well."

Syracuse brought back its top two scorers from 2024-25. But J.J. Starling and Donnie Freeman didn't consistently perform at the same level in 2025-26. Starling dipped from 17.8 points per game last season to 10.9 in 2025-26. Freeman averaged 16.5 points per game but shot poorly in ACC play.

Syracuse elevated Autry, a former player and assistant coach for Boeheim, to head coach in 2023. But the Orange went 15-17 in Autry's final season.

Boeheim said the Orange are nearing a crossroads and the program either must lower expectations or increase NIL commitments. He drew parallels between two other programs who fired coaches after the season.

"If you don't have enough resources, that puts you behind," he told ACC Network. "You look at the league -- BC, Georgia Tech, now Syracuse -- three of the (lowest for) NIL money in the league. You have to look at that."

--Field Level Media

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