Syracuse’s Felisha Legette-Jack on the rise as Adrian Autry fends off criticism

Given Adrian Autry’s struggles this season, criticism of the former Syracuse point guard and assistant turned men's head coach has intensified. Fans have been fed up all season, taking to social media to vent their frustrations, and they are not alone. Carmelo Anthony appeared to join the list of Autry’s critics with his response on a post from Syracuse’s official Instagram account following a loss to North Carolina.

The focus on Autry reached a new level when he decided to bench Anthony’s son, Kiyan, in a loss to Virginia. When asked about it postgame, Autry indicated it was a coach’s decision, worried about the Cavaliers’ level of physicality. Even if that was true, it felt like an odd time for the four-star freshman to sit out his first game of the year. The optics were less than ideal.

Given Melo’s involvement in the situation, the news reached national news cycles. Calls for Autry’s ouster have continued, which led one prominent alumna to speak out.

Felisha Legette-Jack takes aim at fans and the media

“You get on social media, you would think that somebody [is] beating kids in the locker room the way our fan base on social media comes after some of my colleagues. I mean, yeah, we’re having some bad years in some sports. But do you have to say that every time with a paragraph of negativity?”

Felisha Legette-Jack has entered the chat. The former Syracuse hoops star is now in her fourth season as the women’s basketball coach. While she never actually mentioned Autry on Sunday, it was clear who she was referring to.

Credit to Legette-Jack for using her platform to defend her fellow coach. It is a noble thing to do for a colleague feeling the heat right now. There is a certain understanding between her and Autry as well, with both of them having suited up for the Orange in their playing days. However, while Autry has struggled to build momentum, Legette-Jack is showing that she is building her program for long-term success.

The Syracuse women are coming off a 33-point thrashing of Pittsburgh at the Dome, improving them to 10-4 in conference play and 20-5 overall. While 2024-25 was a down year, the Orange finished with a 12-18 record; Legette-Jack is proving that to be an anomaly.

The two programs are trending in opposite directions

Unlike Autry, she has already piloted her squad to an NCAA appearance, reaching the second round of the tournament in 2024. Barring an epic collapse, the Orange should be dancing again. ESPN’s Charlie Creme has ‘Cuse projected as a 9-seed in the field of 68. That was before Thursday’s beatdown of the Panthers.

Legette-Jack's squad is not quite ready to contend with the top teams yet. Four of its five losses came against ranked teams, but they have yet to take down one of the top teams in the league. While they struggle to punch above their weight, they have picked up wins over teams in their weight class. ‘Cuse has five wins over teams ranked in the top 55 of the NET. Autry cannot say the same.

Syracuse is now 1-22 against Top 80 KenPom teams over the last two seasons. https://t.co/Bx91VkdR1S
— Sam Federman (@Sam_Federman) February 7, 2026

Even after a double overtime win vs. Cal on Wednesday, the men's team is 14-11 and 5-7 in the conference. They are a decent way off the bubble and have some ugly losses this season.

There is probably more room for support and positivity within the Syracuse fanbase, as Legette-Jack suggested, but it is hard to pretend that Autry has done a great deal to earn goodwill from fans. He was Jim Boeheim’s hand-picked successor, and he has the men’s team on the brink of missing the NCAA tournament for the fifth straight season, the program’s longest drought since 1967 to 1972.

While Legette-Jack’s fourth-season resurgence could be an argument to keep Autry for another year, he does not have the same backing from the fans or prior success to fall back on. There is a slim chance that Syracuse can still make a run to the NCAA tournament, but barring that miracle turnaround, Autry will be searching for a new role regardless of which coaches stand up for him. Meanwhile, Legette-Jack is set to be around for years to come.

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