NEW YORK — Jim Boeheim spent the weekend in Brooklyn recruiting players like Mohamed Bamba, Brandon Randolph, Hamidou Diallo and Quade Green and seems ready to embrace the borough going forward.
After coaching in the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden for virtually his entire coaching career, Boeheim and his Syracuse team will return to Brooklyn next March for the first of two ACC Tournaments set for 2017 and ’18 at Barclays Center.
“The Garden’s great, but I think this could be a great venue,” Boeheim, whose team lost to North Carolina in the national semifinals, told SNY.tv on Sunday at the Nike EYBL stop at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. “I think this could be a great place so we’ll see how it goes down here.”
Over the next two years, the ACC Tournament will go head-to-head with the Big East Tournament in the Big Apple — competing for fans, money and media attention.
The Big East now boasts the reigning NCAA champion in Villanova — which should be very strong again next year — while the ACC will feature the likely preseason No. 1 team in Duke and a Who’s Who of teams (Duke, North Carolina, Syracuse, Louisville, Virginia, Notre Dame, etc.) and coaches (Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, Boeheim, Rick Pitino, etc.).
“I think both leagues have their own fans so I think both tournaments will be pretty well attended,” said Boeheim, 71. “I think both leagues are pretty well supported by their fan base so I think it will be pretty crowded.”
Asked if he thinks older fans of traditional ACC powers like Duke and North Carolina will be able to navigate the subways to get to Barclays Center, Boeheim said with a laugh, “Those people are pretty smart, I think they can figure out where they gotta get to.”
After 2018, the A-10 Tournament will return to Barclays Center and the ACC Tournament will continue to rotate in the South.
Boeheim, of course, is set to retire in 2018, but we will see if that transpires on schedule.
“I think there’s some good things about the rotation,” Boeheim said. “It’s not bad, I think I have to see how it all plays out after a period of time.”
Syracuse freshman guard Malachi Richardson announced Monday he will test the NBA Draft waters but won’t hire an agent.
If he returns. the Orange should be especially dangerous in 2016-17. They add combo guard Tyus Battle, small forward Matthew Moyer and 7-foot-2 center Paschal Chukwu, who sat out this past year after transferring from Providence.
“I think we add some good pieces,” he said. “I think our young guys got better. I think that we should be a little bit improved next year I hope.”
Boeheim, who sat out nine games this season because of an NCAA-mandated penalty, also believes this year’s Final Four run should help mature the team for next year.
“I think it all helps,” he said. “I think the whole year was a learning experience for the young guys. I think they got better. They’ll be better next year.
“Inside play, you have [Tyler] Lydon and [DaJuan] Coleman and [Tyler] Roberson and Paschal and Moyer,” he said. “We’ve got more depth up front, more size up front than we’ve had and the backcourt will be young but there’s some good palyers there. We’re looking forward to it.”
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NJim Boeheim spent two days in Brooklyn recruiting over the weekend and seems ready to embrace the borough.
