Syracuse's Jim Boeheim wins his 1000th game

Will Jim Boeheim, the long-time Syracuse University basketball coach, leave his post after one more season? The plan, announced by SU in 2015, is that he will; the speculation is that he might not. Whatever, Boeheim maintains that he's never discussed his feelings on the subject and that he won't do so anytime soon . . . no matter what Pete Thamel of SI.com thinks. (Stephen D. Cannerelli | scannerelli@syracuse.com)

Syracuse, N.Y. -- Jim Boeheim, the Syracuse University basketball coach who is preparing for his team's important game with Duke on Wednesday night at the Carrier Dome, carved out some time today to read a piece by SI.com's Pete Thamel.

And he took exception to it.

"The only thing he got right in that story," said Boeheim, "is the spelling of my name."

In summary, Thamel wrote that Boeheim, the 72-year-old Orange boss who is presumed to be leaving his post following the 2017-18 season, may be itching to stay on job.

"It's all speculation," Boeheim insisted during a telephone call. "Pure speculation. There's nothing in that story that is remotely, in any way, true."

You may recall that in 2015 SU announced a plan wherein Boeheim would, in 2018, resign the position he's held since 1976 and give way to Mike Hopkins, his long-time aide and anointed successor. That plan was unveiled in the aftermath of the NCAA's sanctions of the Syracuse program.

Ever since, however, there has been conjecture that Boeheim, who has earned 1,001 on-court victories in his 41-plus campaigns at the head of the Syracuse bench, never really embraced that plan. Hence, the ongoing discussion pertaining to his future.

Indeed, will next season be his last ... or not?

"I'm not going to talk about that," Boeheim said. "I've never talked about stuff like that, and I never will."

Asked when he might choose to discuss it, Boeheim responded, "When I decide." Asked when he might decide, he answered, "At another time." Asked if he would entertain addressing the situation in a broader, philosophical way, he replied, "No."

In the meantime, there is the SI.com piece, which amounts to so much theory (and shared by others) -- theory that Boeheim would suggest is not of the informed variety.

"There is no there, there," he said. "There's no one who could have told him what's in that story because there is no one who knows that. There is no one who has information like that of any kind."

With that, the discussion was over. The Blue Devils were headed to town and there was work to be done.

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