Syracuse head basketball coach Jim Boeheim has ring and wins protection having won a National Championship in 2003, and having amassed over 900 wins in his career.
The Cuse lost a tough game to UConn last night, in what will probably be the two schools final meeting for some time because of conference expansions and realignment.
During his post game presser, Boeheim let it be known that he would take questions from everyone but ESPN reporter Andy Katz, after Katz tried to ask a question about the Syracuse-UConn rivalry.
“I’ll answer anybody’s question but yours because you’re an idiot and a disloyal person,” Boeheim shot at Katz.
“There are a few other things I could add but I’m not going to go there.”
The reasons for Boeheim blasting Katz are unclear at this point, but some speculate it’s because Katz maliciously reported on the academic issues suspended Cuse star Jame Sutherland had a few weeks back.
Reports are that Sutherland and Syracuse shared some information with Katz in confidence, and then he turned around and wrote this article, courtesy of ESPN.com.
The onus to stay eligible is on the player first, the staff second and the advisor/department officials third. But Syracuse clearly is having problems managing eligibility for the second semester. This is now two seasons in a row where the rest of the players who are doing what they’re supposed to be doing are being hurt by one player’s inability to stay eligible. Fab Melo disrupted the season last year and clearly hurt Syracuse from reaching the Final Four. Now James Southerland is ineligible for the foreseeable future while a similar issue is being resolved. Southerland has let down his teammates and the staff. Sure, the Orange won without him Saturday over Villanova but there is still a long season and he needs to be on the floor in some form. He hasn’t shot the ball as well since going 9-for-13 for 35 points against Arkansas on Nov. 30, going 15-for-55 on 3-pointers since that game. But the threat of Southerland making 3s could be enough of a scouting nightmare for opposing teams. There are plenty of fingers to point because of this transgression. It starts with Southerland.
Katz has also been critical before of the way Syracuse and Boeheim ran their program.