Syracuse, Jim Beheim, Jim Behaim discussed on CBS Sports Eye On College Basketball Podcast
Automatic TRANSCRIPT
The green wave. Well, that was obviously wouldn't happen these days. Because those programs are two entirely different levels. But that's what Jim baham inherited. And where he took it was to a place where it was widely recognized as one of the biggest brands in college athletics. And so that will be his legacy. It won't be being eliminated by wake forest in the ACC tournament and then holding a weird press conference. It'll be that he took over a program and turned it into an absolute monster and kept it there for a long period of time. Did he stay maybe a year? Or multiple years too long? Probably. But that's not for me to say. Ultimately, at the age of 78, he in conjunction with the school decided it was time for somebody else to coach Syracuse's program, red Audrey will be that guy hopefully jump behind will enjoy his retirement. The way we've seen Roy Williams, even Mike krzyzewski in recent times, you know, as somebody who can walk around that campus, go to those games and be appreciated for all the things that he did. Interesting trivia time I tweeted this the other night, not really a tour of the time. But it could be like a fun one someday. The last person Jim beheim ever beat and the last person who ever beat Jim behaim. It's the same person. It's Steve Forbes. It is Steve Forbes. How about that? Put that in your notes. I had it in my notes. I apologize if the first thought it was turned off. The air conditioner turned on. I don't know if you can hear it or not, but I just tried to turn it off and it refuses to comply. I got the Jim beheim of wall mounts over here right now. So as a listener, we can't hear your air conditioner. We could not hear the sirens. We can barely hear you. Okay. That's good. Jim behaim's time at Syracuse was so long ago. Number one album in the country. Ray Charles legendary legendary record, modern sounds and country western music. The Beatles had not even appeared on Ed Sullivan. I started at Syracuse there. So that's also part of this. He has the longest association with a school of any person in the history of college athletics. Jim phelan coached two years longer at mount saint Mary's, but he did not go to mount saint marriage. Went to Syracuse, was a walk on, played at Syracuse, had a few years where he was playing low level pro ball and then returned basically still had his home there. And then was there from the late 60s, early 70s on. And so yeah, this is, this is a historic ending. It really is. And it's the fact that it's 2023 and it's finally here. It's wild. On a personal note, back in O 6 or so, I think it was. I got to go to my first biggie's tournament as not even as a functioning media member, but I was able to obtain a credential. And so I was like, what the hell I'll just do this. And so the first question I ever asked any coach in any capacity at the D one level was beheim in the old and the old big east and I've got the, I've got the transcript somewhere in my pile of junk, but I wanted to save it and I don't even remember what the hell I asked to be honest, but he took it well and I was like, all right, one down, let's do it. So he moves along and now obviously in three successive years in the ACC alone, we've had the change in the garden. We've had Roy, K and now Behan, that's not even getting into the likes of Jay Wright, but a lot of the Hall of Famers, the men who have won national championships, the men who are near or at the top of the all time wins list, they've moved on. And now we see what Syracuse can be in the air to come. I do think it will be a challenge, but maybe Autry's got it to the point where he can get this thing where they can be a top 25 level kind of program to out of every three years, you know, his goal will be to do it every year, but we have to see. This is as challenging of a changing of the guard because Syracuse is not duke. It's not even huber taking over at North Carolina. It's not, it's not Kyle Neptune and Villanova just lost on Thursday night. It's not even Neptune taking over Villanova, which is in Philadelphia, which is one of the best basketball cities in the country. Syracuse, New York. The middle of the state, winter's last half the year, and beheim was able to so much of behe's legacy is how he was able to recruit these incredible players from across the country to be willing to go and play in Syracuse, New York. How did you do that? I wonder. I wonder. It will not be easy, but I'm interested to see what Syracuse can be because I don't know what it will be, honestly. If you told me ten years from now, Syracuse was able to maintain a top four status in the ACC. It wouldn't stun me, but if you told me, yeah, Syracuse's average finish in the ACC in the ten years since Jim beheim retired is tenth. That would not shock me either. We'll see where it goes from here, but a major era is over, and that program needed a reboot and it's going to be better for having not gone at least one more year with behemoth in charge. Yeah, my first year as a full-time beat rider was the 2002 2003 season. Covering Memphis for the commercial pill newspaper and Memphis happened to open that season inside Madison Square Garden against Syracuse. And so I remember in the week before, I had set up an interview with Carmelo Anthony this fabulous freshman Carmelo Anthony and I talked to him which is no, by the way, as a small that's not like Carmelo Anthony's hype was massive. So the fact that you pulled that off, you know, different era, but that's well, this was the point is that so I'm working through the SID. Again, I'm like a first time relatively young beat rider. And I'm like, I guess you'd call the SID at Syracuse and see if maybe you can get Jim behaim on the phone.