NEW YORK — Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim says he has “no information” for investigators relating to the Bernie Fine sexual molestation case, and continues to defend his longtime friend and associate. “I have no information that can help anybody,” Boeheim told a swarm of reporters Tuesday at the Marriott Marquis hotel in midtown Manhattan on the eve of the Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off. Even amid harsh criticism from a sexual abuse recovery group for his stance on the Fine case, Boeheim continued to stand by his longtime assistant. “I made one statement and I think it was the right statement,” he said in reference to his initial statement of support for Fine after allegations surfaced that he molested two former Syracuse ball boys, Bobby Davis, 39, and Mike Lang, 45, from the 1970s through the 1990s. Boeheim initially said the accusers are liars who are looking for money. “I think it was the right statement,” Boeheim added. “I’m not going to repeat it. We’ll have to see what happens. “I support Bernie. Like I’ve said, I’ve known him for 50 years. This was investigated three times. If something else happens that surfaces, some factual things, then we’ll have to adjust to that.” Asked directly if the accusers were doing this for money, Boeheim said, “I’m done. I’m done. I’m not talking about that. It’s over. I’ve said what I’ve said. I’m not going into details.” Boeheim on Monday was harshly criticized by Rev. Robert M. Hoatson, founder and president of the New Jersey-based non-profit Road to Recovery. “We would like Syracuse to change its mascot (color) from orange to yellow because Jim Boeheim has been cowardly,” Hoatson told the Democrat & Chronicle. ”(He) hasn’t said a right thing yet. He just wants to protect his program, and the program isn’t worth a hill of beans if it has exposed children to pedophilia.” Asked if coaches in general would be likely to stop working with children in light of the Penn State and Syracuse cases, Boeheim said, ‘I don’t think so. I don’t think so at all.” He was also asked if he thought the media — led in this case by ESPN, which first reported the Fine story — had jumped the gun, Boeheim said, “That’s not for me to say. I’m not a media expert.” As the No. 5 Orange prepare to play Virginia Tech Wednesday at Madison Square Garden, and then either Stanford or Oklahoma State Friday, Boeheim said seniors Scoop Jardine and Kris Joseph had done a good job leading the team during this tumultuous time. “I’ve never thought they wouldn’t be [OK],” he said of his team in general. When someone asked Boeheim about Syracuse’s upcoming move to the ACC, he joked that that was yet another topic he couldn’t discuss. “Jeez, we have a lot of things we’re not talking about,” he said with a smile. He did say that he thought No. 1 North Carolina stood out among teams he’s watched so far “because they have so many guys back from a team that was good last year.” Yet Boeheim said he’s not paying any more attention to ACC teams now with Syracuse headed there sometime in the future. “That’s a long, long ways away,” he said. “We don’t know when that will be.” Boeheim was also asked about the NBA lockout and his thoughts on a potentially new collective bargaining agreement. He said his preference would be for players to be allowed to either jump straight from high school to the NBA, or to have to spend two years on campus. “The best-case scenario is kids could go out of high school if they want,” he said. “The next best scenario is if we could get two years. I think it helps college, it helps the NBA, it helps everybody.” Yet Boeheim conceded that only a very small group of players, such as LeBron James, are able to go straight from high school. “I don’t think it would’ve helped LeBron to go to college,” he said. Boeheim tried to steer the conversation back to basketball whenever it veered off to the Fine case, but reiterated that he has no information that could help police investigate the case. “I really don’t have any facts so it would be foolish of me to comment,” he said.
