Jim Boeheim will “absolutely” appeal his nine-game suspension to start conference play next season, he confirmed at his Thursday morning press conference in the Carrier Dome.

“Every penalty is a penalty on the coach. Every penalty is a penalty on the school,” Boeheim said. “They can separate it, but if I can’t coach nine games, it hurts the players and it hurts the school.”

Boeheim added that he’s accepting the nine-game suspension, but will appeal the more extensive restrictions the suspension places on him. He said he’ll appeal because he thinks the punishments are based on people not even at the school anymore.

“The nine-game suspension affects all the players on next year’s team,” Boeheim said. “I would appeal that I could coach in practice and take the punishment of not coaching in games.”

The NCAA report states that Boeheim can’t be in the same arena where games are being played during the suspension, and can’t communicate with any players or staff members during the time.

He emphasized how that rule will make it even more difficult to prepare players for games rather than if he was simply banned from in-game coaching. The head coach will also be forbidden from attending any recruits’ games or communicating with any recruits in another way.

Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud announced in an email on Wednesday that the school would also be appealing the vacation of wins for the men’s basketball program and scholarship reductions from the team.

It is unclear how many wins the NCAA will force SU to vacate, but the team knows it will lose 12 scholarships over a four-year span starting during the 2016-2017 season, with three taken away in each year.

Published on March 19, 2015 at 12:03 pm

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