WATCH: Adrian Autry Introductory Press Conference
For the first time in nearly 50 years, Syracuse men's basketball has a new head coach. Adrian Autry was promoted from Associate Head Coach to Head Coach on Wednesday following the Orange's ACC Tournament loss to Wake Forest. On Friday, the program officially introduced him in a press conference. Video of the presser can be viewed above.
Among the highlights of the press conference were as follows.
- Jim Boeheim was fully on board with the plan, retiring and the transition to Adrian Autry.
- Jim Boeheim will continue to work within Syracuse Athletics moving forward in a to be defined role.
- John Wildhack stated Adrian Autry got this job because he is the best man for the job not because he is an alum or former player.
- Adrian Autry said he wants to be versatile on both ends of the floor and will do whatever is necessary to win (when specifically asked about man vs zone).
- Discussions with current players and their future plans have been ongoing and will continue.
Autry was a fantastic player in his own right. He was a McDonald's All-American out of high school, started for four years at Syracuse, averaging 16.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.6 steals during a spectacular senior season in which he earned All Big East First Team honors. He remains fifth on the all time assist list at Syracuse.
Following his time with the Orange, Autry turned pro. While he was not selected in the NBA Draft, he spent time overseas as well as the USBL. He began coaching in 2006 at the AAU level before transitioning to college in 2008. Autry started with Virginia Tech as the Director of Basketball Operations before becoming an assistant coach two years later.
In 2011, there was an opening on Jim Boeheim's staff. He was hired by Syracuse and has been with the Orange ever since.
“He was a born leader. I saw that the first day I met him. He was just always saying the right thing to you as a teammate and a point guard,” former teammate John Wallace said via Syracuse.com. “I saw how hard he worked to be a pro player. He wore a weight vest and did all the extra work just to play. He was tough, too. He played on a bad Achilles for two years at ‘Cuse and never missed a game. I expect his teams will take on that type of personality.’’
SUPPORT ALL SYRACUSE
SUBSCRIBE TO ALLSYRACUSE.COM NOW TO GET ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE INSIDER CONTENT
JOIN THE ALL SYRACUSE FORUMS FOR FREE AND DISCUSS THE ORANGE WITH OTHER FANS AND OUR STAFF
