Jim Boeheim took his customary spot along the Carrier Dome sideline Saturday out of duty. The ovation he received was not expected, though it was appreciated. It also wouldn’t change what happened four nights earlier, when the Hall of Fame Syracuse coach💛 accidentally ended the life of a pedestrian with his vehicle.
“This is forever for me,” an emotional Boeheim said after making his first public appearance, coaching in the Orange’s 75-65 loss to top-ranked Duke, since the tragic Wednesday night incident. “I’ve always felt like in life there are a lot of things you have to overcome. There is nothing like this. I ꦏcan’t describe it to you.
“This is never going away. Tuesday it’s not going to be betteꦓr. It’s not going to be better next month. It’s not going👍 to be better next year.”
The 74-year-old Boeheim was greeted by a loud ovation, taking the court shortly before tip-off. He acknowledged the record on-campus crowd of 35,642 for a college basketball game. Hꦡe then walked to center court, shook hands and shared a hug with Duke coach and longtime friend Mike Krzyzewski, as his wife Juli shed a te🐻ar, and got ready to coach.
“This city has always been great,” said Syracuse guard Buddy Boeheim, Jim’s ꦿson. “It gave me goosebumps. It was a really cool moment.”
“My decision to coach this game🍰, all I can say is I felt the responsibility and obligation to my players and the members of my basketball team,” said Boeheim, in his 43rd season coaching Syracuse. “I recruited these young men to come play at Syracuse University. They needed me to try to do my job tonight. They understand I did this feeling fully the weight of the tragic accident and its i🌞mpact on the Jimenez family.”
A moment of silence, in English and Spanish, was observed for the victim, 51-year-old local man Jorge Jimenez and his family. Boeheim didn’t take part in Thursday’s practice but was present for Frida🤡y’s workout.
Jimenez was a passenger in a car tha🐻t hit a patch of ice and collided into a guardrail. He was hit by Boeheim’s vehicle while out of the car. Boeheim pas🀅sed a sobriety test and charges are not expected to be filed, according to authorities.
“He looks strong and I’m glad he coached,”⛄ Krzyzewski said. “What the hell else is he supposed to do? That’s what he does. The honoring of the family, the moment of silence, everything was beautiful in that environment.”
Syracuse (18-9, 9-5 ACC) played inspired basketball for 20 minutes, taking a five-point halftime lead on Duke ♋(24-3, 12-2), which was without freshman phenom Zion Williamson. But the other Blue Devils megastar, RJ Barrett, took over in the second half, finishing with 30 points and seven assists. The Orange couldn’t match him, as junior star Tyus Battle struggled, scoring 16 points on 4-of-17 shooting, and they were ice-cold from deep, making 5 of 23 attempts.
But afterward, Bo🌠eheim’s min🐲d was still on Wednesday night. It may never leave him.
“This is some🥃thing that will be withꦆ me for the rest of my life,” he said.