Syracuse coach Jim Boehm said on a sports radio call-in show on Wednesday that he has a plan to step down.
"There's a plan," Boehm told ESPN Radio in Syracuse. "I'm telling you there's a plan."
Boehm did not disclose any details of the arrangement as it could impact recruitment. He said the university would decide when to make it public and he expected input on the selection of his replacement.
Boehm, 77, is the second-most winning coach in Division I history with 997 wins, behind only Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, at the end of his 46th season at the top. He has repeatedly stated that he is looking forward to coaching next season with some new players enrolled.
"I think if I said I'm leaving now, after giving my talk to these players, I'd be like, 'Oh, he's had a bad year, so he's just going to leave,'" Boehm said on Saturday. After a one-sided domestic loss to Duke on the night of. "That's what I think. Maybe you won't. Maybe someone else won't. But that's what I'll see. He's just going to leave."
Syracuse (15–15) have one game remaining in the regular season against Miami on Saturday at the Carrier Dome, before the ACC tournament begins. Boehm has never had a losing season.
"At the end of the day, I can promise you that I'm going to try to leave this program in the best shape I can when I go," Boehm said. "I think we'll be able to do that."
This is Boeheim's second plan for retirement. When Syracuse was hit with NCAA sanctions in 2015 and Boehm's 101 victories were empty, former assistant coach Mike Hopkins was named to succeed him. Instead, after 25 years with the program as a player and a coach, Hopkins abruptly left in March 2017 when he was offered a job at Washington and Boehm continued to coach Orange.