Syracuse, N.Y. -- Jim Boeheim will resume his coaching duties this afternoon and will coach his Syracuse basketball team Saturday, when Duke visits the Carrier Dome for a 6 p.m. game.

SU athletic director John Wildhack released this statement about Boeheim’s return to coaching:

The Jimenez family has suffered a tremendous loss. Our community is shaken. The Boeheim family is heartbroken over what happened, as we all are. This is a very difficult time. I know that Coach Boeheim’s players gain strength from him, just as he gains strength from his players. Our entire community gains strength from each other. With this in mind, and after thoughtful consideration, I have respectfully decided that Coach Boeheim will resume his coaching duties later today and will coach in tomorrow night’s game against Duke. We continue to extend our deepest sympathies to the Jimenez family as they continue to mourn this tragic loss.

The Syracuse basketball coach was driving an SUV that struck and killed Jorge Jimenez, 51, at 11:22 p.m. Wednesday on 690 East. Jimenez and three other passengers were attempting to flee a vulnerable disabled car, located on a stretch of dark highway, when Boeheim’s vehicle struck him.

Police have called it an accident and Boeheim and Wildhack released separate statements Thursday expressing condolences to Jimenez’s family. ESPN’s GameDay, once scheduled for Saturday in the Dome, has been shifted to ESPN’s base in Bristol, Conn., after ESPN officials decided the frivolity of the GameDay experience would starkly contrast with what was transpiring in Syracuse.

In his Thursday statement, Boeheim said he was “heartbroken” about the accident, which claimed the life of Jimenez, a native of Cuba and a father of three. The SU coach met briefly with his team on Thursday but did not participate in practice.

The Orange on Saturday will play Duke for the second time this season. Syracuse defeated the Blue Devils in overtime in Durham on Jan. 14. Cam Reddish missed that game with flu-like symptoms and point guard Tre Jones went down early with a shoulder injury after colliding with Frank Howard. This time, the status of Duke star Zion Williamson is newsworthy. Williamson sustained what Duke is terming a minor knee sprain after his left foot tore through his Nike shoe as he was making a basketball move against North Carolina Wednesday night. News reports have said Williamson will not play Saturday against Syracuse.

Boeheim has missed just 12 Syracuse games over the course of his 43 years as the Orange head coach. After surgery for prostate cancer in 2001, he missed three games as then-assistant coach Bernie Fine coached the team. He missed nine games in the 2015-16 season because of NCAA sanctions; then-assistant Mike Hopkins coached the Orange during that span.

Follow Syracuse basketball on Twitter and Facebook