Jim Boeheim Is Furious That His Son Was Suspended By ACC Over Sucker Punch And Is Not Holding Back

Getty Image

  • Buddy Boeheim threw a pretty blatant punch during the ACC Tournament and the conference suspended him accordingly.
  • His father and head coach of Syracuse basketball, Jim Boeheim, is furious with the decision.
  • Click HERE to see more college hoops coverage!

Syracuse head basketball coach Jim Boeheim is frustrated with the ACC. His son, and one of the Orange’s top players, was suspended on Wednesday for throwing a punch during the conference tournament and he is not happy.

During Wednesday’s dominant win over Florida State, Buddy Boeheim punched Seminoles guard Wyatt Wilkes in the stomach. The incident came after some back-and-forth between the two under the basket and was pretty blatant.

However, both Boeheims are claiming that it was neither intentional nor deliberately violent. Buddy issued an apology after the game, saying that he “swung his arm” and made right with Wilkes.

Meanwhile, his father came out and said that he saw no reason for his son to be suspended. He was ridiculed for defending Buddy and saying that “it wasn’t much of a punch,” when it definitely was.

Even the ACC agreed on the intent, giving Buddy a one-game suspension for the incident. It caused him to miss Thursday’s game against Duke and, given that he was the team’s leading scorer, it was a big loss.

While there is sure to be plenty of continued discussion about the decision from Boeheim, he is already sounding off. He is not happy.

The 77-year-old spoke about the suspension on Thursday morning and was very blunt.

“I think if the officials would’ve called the play properly … then he would’ve been out of the game and we were up 18. We would’ve won the game, so now he’d be playing today. They would never have punished him for another game, no matter what they say. They gave the maximum penalty to the kid that deserves better and we’ll just go out and do the best we can. That’s all we can do at this stage. I think it’s disappointing for the league. I think it’s a disappointing call and I don’t think it’s a call that had to be made.”

Win or lose, Boeheim is surely going to keep the conversation going. There is a lot of frustration on the Syracuse side and the head coach is at the forefront.