'They didn’t do their job': Syracuse's Jim Boeheim scolds ACC refs for son's suspension
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Syracuse senior Buddy Boeheim gave a tearful apology while his father, coach Jim Boeheim, scolded the Atlantic Coast Conference for issuing a one-game suspension that kept his son out of Thursday's 88-79 loss to Duke in the ACC tournament quarterfinal.
Boeheim was suspended after punching FSU's Wyatt Wilkes in the stomach during Wednesday's second-round victory. No foul was called during the game, and the suspension was handed down later that evening.
Coach Boeheim said game officials should've reviewed the play in-game and given Buddy a Flagrant 2 instead of suspending him after the game.
"If it had been handled properly, they would have looked at the video — they've looked at the video every single time this year," Boeheim said during Thursday's post-game press conference. "The kid was laying on the floor. Wyatt was laying on the floor."
"They're punishing this guy right here (pointing to Buddy) because they (game officials) didn't do their job," Boeheim continued. "And the league should have looked at that and said, this would have been out. He would have been out. Don't let anybody tell you, well, he might have been suspended for the game, this game too. That would never have happened. No one in their right mind would say that.
"So they didn't do their job, so Buddy got punished," he added. "That's what happened."
Buddy attended the postgame press conference wearing Syracuse sweats. He called the punch "a mistake."
"I've been thinking about the play for the last 24 hours, to tell you the truth, over and over again why I did it. I think it was just the heat of the moment. I thought he might have ran into me, lowered his shoulder, but it was a clean play besides that," Buddy said. "We hit a big three, I got excited, and turned around — never meant to throw a punch. I don't think I've thrown a punch in my life. But connected with him obviously, maybe tried to get him with my arm or something running back. But never meant to intentionally hurt him or affect him and knock the wind out of him."
His voice broke as he talked about letting down his young fans and the potential end of his college basketball career. He could return for another season but has yet to decide.
"Forget basketball," he said. "I want to be remembered for being a great person off the court."
After the loss to Duke, Syracuse ends its season with a 16-17 overall record, the first time in Jim Boeheim's career that he's finished a season with a losing record.
David Thompson is an award-winning reporter for the USA Today Network covering NC State and Duke athletics. He can be reached at dthompson1@gannett.com or on Twitter at @daveth89.