At 77, Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim Is Still Confounding And Inspiring His Coaching Brethren

By ADAM ZAGORIA

Jay Wright has won two of the last five NCAA championships, but he still had to break out some old film to prepare his No. 6-ranked Villanova team for facing the Syracuse zone on Tuesday night in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden.

“You don’t play against anybody that plays the zone as well as they do, and this year they’re even adding a 1-3-1 which is pretty effective,” Wright said. “It brings a whole new challenge to playing them.”

Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim turned 77 on Nov. 17 and has been the head coach at his alma mater since 1976 — when Gerald Ford was in the White House — yet he’s still finding new ways to confound and inspire opposing coaches.

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Written by Adam Zagoria

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Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle. A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.