You’re annoyed with Jim Boeheim for the same reasons you love him

It’s a tradition like any other. No, not the Masters. The OTHER tradition...

So let’s get something out of the way: I am in no way saying criticizing James Arthur Boeheim is wrong. There are plenty of things that land at the feet of Jim Boeheim that have negatively impacted this basketball team this season.

However, let’s remember this is the same season in which we praised Jim Boeheim for calling out the city of Greensboro and the haters online. The same season in which we proudly shared 1000* memes & shirts and damned the NCAA to hell along the way.

So when Jimmy dropped this in his final postgame press conference, it made things... interesting.

Here’s the thing: loving Boeheim for speaking his mind while also blaming him for the team’s struggles is normal, and perhaps, expected as a Syracuse fan.

But swinging your opinion from “BOEHEIM IS MY SPIRIT ANIMAL” to “BOEHEIM NEEDS TO RETIRE” is what Jimmy is calling out in the above. Because, in case you missed it, while Jim doesn’t have an email or Twitter account (that he actually runs), he definitely reads what we send Bud Poloquin and hears what Dan in Camillus and Craig in Liverpool call in to say.

We went through this same song-and-dance with Mike Hopkins after his less than stellar tenure. We made excuses (weird situation, not his own staff/system) but also freaked out (HE’S CLEARLY NOT AS GOOD AS BOEHEIM/HE’S ONLY A RECRUITER) and were relieved when Boeheim returned to take the reins -- and get the Orange to a surprising Final Four.

Boeheim is human. He’s a human who loves this university and this team more than anything, and his job as a coach is how he cares for that university and team. He won’t always do a perfect job (as we’ve seen this year), but he does care more than anything. And when you care, you’re going to call out people you think are treating your program unfairly.

That may sound like a familiar course of action to a lot of very loud detractors on Twitter just minutes after the loss today (no need to link to them, as you likely saw them as well).

You’re going to miss Jim Boeheim when it’s all said and done. For the large majority of Orange fans, they realize this. The Greensboro quips, and yelling at refs and steadfast resolve to stay in the zone are all part of the deal. All of those flaws come with wins (and a lot of them), however. And the highs have always been higher than the lows have been low.

Take umbrage with recent recruiting (while ignoring the effects of the NCAA sanctions).

Or challenge this year’s coaching (while ignoring the job he did last year and for much of ACC play this year).

Or the ability of players to improve (while ignoring the fact that Andrew White, John Gillon, Tyus Battle and Taurean Thompson all looked better in the latter part of the year than the earlier games).

Or potential (while ignoring your expectations were largely set by a pre-season comment, not the reality of introducing a new lineup into a system that takes time).

But if you’re going to do that, you can’t honestly laud him the next time one of his decisions brings positive results. Like any other human being, there are two sides to the coin that is Jim Boeheim. You can’t insist on only seeing the side you’d prefer.