Jim Boeheim has a new autobiography coming out, and the book “Bleeding Orange” gives an interesting insight to a legend of basketball coaching.
There is no question that when Syracuse men’s basketball coach Jim Boeheim finally calls it quits, he’s headed very quickly for the short list of “greatest ever” arguments that will rage on forever.
38 years coaching at one school, 948 wins and 320 losses (a career .748 win percentage), 11 regular season conference championships, five conference tournament championships, 31 appearances in the NCAA tournament, four Final Four appearances, an NCAA Championship in 2003, and election to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The resume speaks for itself, even if the man rarely does.
But now, Boeheim has spoken for himself, in the form of a book.
When an autobiography is released about someone who is still currently living and active in their chosen career, the first words that spring to mind are “self-serving”.
However, in the case of Boeheim’s self-spun tale, “Bleeding Orange”, written in conjunction with novelist and sportswriter Jack McCallum, you actually get a more clear picture of one of the most misunderstood coaching legends currently in the game.
Having watched Boeheim over a large portion of his career at Syracuse, I had the same impression that most who are not in the coach’s inner-circle probably have.
This guy is nuts.
But from the opening of the prologue to the last chapter, this book paints a picture of Jim Boeheim that made me, and anyone else who reads it, see him in a much different light.
After all, how does the son of a funeral director find his way into becoming one of the most recognizable faces and names in college basketball history?
Quite simply – purpose.
When you watch Boeheim in action, it seems that everything is deliberate. Every coaching move, screaming fit, and even facial expression has a distinct purpose and not a bit of it looks spontaneous coming from Boeheim. There is a reason…a plan. That impression is only solidified in his autobiography.
"“Yet as a coach, you can never celebrate for very long. There is always the next game, always another test right around the corner. Your decisions are endlessly debated, especially the ones that may have cost you a win, the ones that make your guts roil for days.”"
The book is a mixture of Boeheim telling the tales of the highs and lows of his life at Syracuse, intertwined with a series of “coach’s notes”, giving vivid descriptions of the happenings minutes, hours and even days before tipoff in some of the more interesting games of his career.
The read is compelling.
Boeheim is sure to be mentioned (and already is) for the rest of history with the likes of coaches such as Dean Smith, Adolph Rupp, Mike Krzyzewski, Bobby Knight and John Wooden. But for his part, Boeheim can lay claim to something that none of those coaching greats can…having done everything at place – from walk-on, to gritty player, to coaching royalty…all happening at one school. His story is like no other.
His fiery and contentious relationships with the top coaches in the once proud Big East during the conference’s glory days — John Thompson, Rollie Massimino, Jim Calhoun and Louie Carnesecca — are some of the more fascinating chapters in the book.
"“John [Thompson] was an intimidating figure, no doubt about it. He carried an us-against-the-world attitude that he imprinted on his teams. He felt he needed that to be successful. There was always an undercurrent of race with John, but that came mostly from the outside. I never thought that black and white had much to do with the sometimes hostile relationship between our schools. After all, we had mostly African American players, too. It was more that orange just never got along with blue and gray.”"
And if the stories of Boeheim and his coaching nemeses are fun reading, the tales of his time with some of the more memorable (and sometimes difficult) players in the program’s history are an amusement park.
Take this excerpt about Dwayne “Pearl” Washington for example.
"“Pearl was the epitome of the “city point guard,” the New York or Philly kid who grew up on the playgrounds, cocky, wily, creative, fearless, showmanship in his blood and bones. You don’t think of that type as much anymore, since the most talented kids now go to prep schools. It’s hard to imagine Pearl at a prep school, but that’s probably where a modern-day Pearl would end up.”"
Stories about players like Pearl, Ronny Seikaly, Derrick Coleman, Carmelo Anthony and others are sprinkled throughout the book, bringing a stark realization of just how tough it is to coach kids who already have visions of million-dollar contracts in their heads while under your guidance.
If you want to learn about Syracuse basketball history, and how some of its greatest players came through the programs doors and blossomed or floundered under Boeheim’s mentoring, this is an exceptional account.
And as for Jim Boeheim himself, there is no glorification of his accomplishments, but more a for-the-record statement of facts and captivating weaving of stories from a lifetime in one place.
The master of the 2-3 zone defense (employed like no other coach in history), and early opponent of the formation of the Big East as we once knew it, Boeheim has always looked the part of loner, and his dry and sometimes curt press conferences only serve as a tool to hammer that impression indelibly into history’s face.
Boeheim’s place in basketball history is secure, but the understanding of his personality and his gruff exterior is much less so. However, if there was ever a way to redefine Boeheim’s legacy as man in the coaching profession (as his work as a coach will most certainly never come into question), this autobiography will be that instrument.
I would like to thank Tom Hopke, Assistant Marketing Manager of HarperCollins Publishers, for providing me with an advance copy of the book, “Bleeding Orange” for purposes of this article.
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