2012-10-12-dl-mad6.JPG

S.U. Orange Madness at the Carrier Dome with the men's and women's basketball teams greeting the fans. L-R; Former Syracuse standout Scoop Jardine watches the scrimmage with Onondaga Co. Executive Joanie Mahoney. David Lassman / The Post-Standard

(David Lassman)

Syracuse, N.Y. -- Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney wants to "get the word out."

To achieve that goal, she has been tweeting at various sports personalities, Syracuse graduates and sports media people to pay attention to the win total of Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim.

#RealBoeheimWins: Congratulations Coach Boeheim on win 987. Syracuse 90-Holy Cross 46. 13 wins until 1,000. #GoOrange — Onondaga County (@OnondagaCounty) November 16, 2016

Mahoney is a Syracuse graduate and a long-time Syracuse basketball fan who contends that her constituents want to see the Orange coach celebrated for reaching 1,000 wins. Had the NCAA not intervened and stripped the SU coach of 101 wins, Boeheim would achieve 1,000 career victories this season. After SU's 2-0 start, he currently needs 13 victories to reach that perch.

Mahoney talked today about why she wanted citizens to be aware of the Boeheim tally and what she plans to do once he reaches the "unofficial" 1,000 wins. Here is that conversation:

Donna Ditota: So you've tweeted out some things about Jim Boeheim and his impending "real time" wins and I'm curious about what made you do it?

Joanie Mahoney: Loyalty. Jim Boeheim has meant so much to this community and it's unheard of in the business that he's in, college basketball, for somebody to be as loyal as he's been to this university and this community. I'm sure he had plenty of options along the way to move on and he has just been incredibly loyal to Syracuse University and the community. And I know from what I hear out in the community that people feel that loyalty back and I want to make sure he knows that. I've tried to start a community-wide conversation about the fact that this is his year to be celebrating 1,000 wins and I didn't want anybody to take it away from him.



(Left to right back) Joanie Mahoney, Onondaga County Executive, John Wallace, former Syracuse University basketball player, (front) Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner, (back) Derrick Coleman, former SU basketball player, and Jim Boeheim, SU basketball coach, attend the ribbon cutting for the newest Courts 4 Kids basketball court at Skiddy Park, 300 Tioga St., Tully, Otisco and Oswego Streets. Courts 4 Kids refurbishes and builds basketball courts in city playgrounds. The Carmelo Anthony Foundation, and the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation, sponsor Courts 4 Kids in partnership with the city. Jim Boeheim, Syracuse University basketball coach, and Derrick Coleman, former SU basketball player, attended the the unveil at Skiddy Park Wednesday afternoon. Morganne M. Atutis / The Post-Standard

Donna Ditota: You didn't believe that the NCAA should be allowed to take those games away? I don't know how far into the weeds you want to get with the whole NCAA investigation.

Joanie Mahoney: I'm probably not the best person to get into the weeds of it, but I can tell you from a high level, it's not fair. It's not fair to Jim Boeheim, it's not fair to Syracuse University, it's not fair to this community. That whole process was ridiculous. The length of time and the scrutiny and then the level of the supposed infractions to take all of those wins away from Coach Boeheim and tell our community that they weren't real, it doesn't sit well with a lot of people in the community. And I, as the County Executive, am just speaking on behalf of the people here who know that this is Coach Boeheim's year that he's going to pass 1,000 wins. I don't even know how to describe what the NCAA did. I don't think it even rises to the level of an investigation. Eight years of scrutiny to come up with what they did and to suggest that that warranted taking away 100 wins from Coach Boeheim, it just is not fair. He's been loyal to us and we're going to be loyal right back and celebrate this the way it should be celebrated.

Donna Ditota: Are you planning something specific?

Joanie Mahoney: Yes, we are planning on a community-wide celebration. We'll see what the details are as we get closer. We're hoping, and based on how the team is playing, we're expecting that it's going to be around the time of the (Jan. 4) Miami game. And we would love for the whole community to come out and show Coach Boeheim and the whole basketball program the gratitude that we as a community have for what they provide for us in Syracuse and Onondaga County over what is oftentimes a very long winter. It's so much fun to have Syracuse basketball going on. We're not going to let what the NCAA has done dampen the enthusiasm we have for Coach Boeheim and the whole program.

Donna Ditota: This will be something that happens near City Hall, or in Clinton Square or someplace in the community where you'll invite people to celebrate the milestone?

Joanie Mahoney: That's our plan. We'd like to have something open to the public that celebrates the milestone.

Donna Ditota: I know you're a pretty big SU basketball fan. I've seen you at games. Can you describe your level of fandom?

Joanie Mahoney: Sure. I'm an alum. I graduated from Syracuse undergrad and I graduated again from the law school. And my husband and I are now parents of a Syracuse University college student. (Their son, Jack, is an SU basketball head manager.) We have been lifelong fans of Syracuse basketball and that goes along with being big fans of Jim Boeheim. He has been the head coach of the program since we began cheering for the team in the 1970s. And as a fan, there's a lot of gratitude. But as County Executive, they're also a very valuable part of our whole community in terms of the hundreds of people who come back here because they want to watch the Orange play basketball. That is really valuable to us as a community. And we should be celebrating it. The NCAA is mistaken if they think they're going to take something away from Jim Boeheim and this community, because this community is very loyal to the coach and to the program. And we're going to celebrate what is his 'real' 1,000th win.