As Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim took the floor on Saturday, tears streamed down his wife Juli’s face. Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski, who Boeheim calls a “true friend,” stood near his bench, clapped and embraced Boeheim for a few seconds and whispered a message in his ear.

The nation’s No. 1 team and a record crowd were in the Carrier Dome. But Saturday evening was ultimately overshadowed by the tragic crash involving Boeheim late Wednesday along Interstate 690.

Boeheim coached on Saturday less than 72 hours after he fatally struck a pedestrian walking on the highway, 51-year-old Jorge Jimenez of Syracuse. SU (18-9, 9-5 Atlantic Coast) lacked the offense to beat No. 1 Duke (24-3, 12-2), but before and after the game, the events of Wednesday night were at the front of everyone’s minds.

“First and foremost, to the Jimenez family, I want them to know how truly devastated I am for my involvement in the loss of their loved one, Jorge Jimenez,” said Boeheim, in his first public remarks since the crash, in a postgame press conference. “The grief his family is feeling at this time is, simply put, unimaginable.”

On Wednesday night, Jimenez was in a vehicle that lost control, swerved into a guardrail and ended up in the middle of I-690 eastbound near Thompson Road, a Syracuse Police Department spokesman said. The oncoming vehicle, driven by Boeheim, then tried to avoid the disabled car but hit Jimenez, who was standing on the side of the road, police said.

All involved, including Boeheim, remained on the scene and cooperated with SPD, according to police. Police said neither driver involved in the crash was under the influence of alcohol.

Before the game Saturday, a public address announcer read, in English and Spanish, a call for a moment of silence in honor of Jimenez, who emigrated from Cuba decades ago. Soon after, during the national anthem, Boeheim wiped tears from his eyes.

The head coach of 43 years was at the Carrier Dome on Saturday because he felt an obligation to the players he recruited, Boeheim said. He met with them Thursday and told them to “stay the course,” sophomore forward Oshae Brissett said. Then Boeheim returned to full practice Friday. He wanted his players to think of the Jimenez family, but he also felt it was his heartache to bear, and that they should focus on basketball, Brissett added.

“In times like this, the community has to come together the most, I think,” junior guard Tyus Battle said. “I think that’s what we tried to do, stick together as a team and as a Syracuse family. Try to support the family that that happened to and coach at the same time.”

Boeheim said “we’ve” reached out to the Jimenez family, and he hopes to try to do that as time goes on. Boeheim knows it isn’t about him, he said.

“It doesn’t matter how I feel,” Boeheim said. “It’s how they feel, and what’s happened to them, and there’s just nothing I can say about it.”

During Saturday’s game, Boeheim coached with the same fervor he always has. When Syracuse players didn’t get the foul calls he felt they should have, Boeheim threw his arms toward the Carrier Dome roof. He took his jacket off midway through the second half, as he’s done in other close games.

Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer

When the Orange looked to make a comeback against Duke, with takeaways in their full-court press, Boeheim clapped his hands, encouraging them to keep pushing. And when the game was finally out of reach, Duke dribbling out the clock, Boeheim held out his right hand, telling his players to ease up.

Boeheim began his postgame press conference with what appeared to be a prepared statement on the crash, and then requested questions on only the game. But he was quickly asked about what it felt like walking into the Carrier Dome before facing Duke. And, in responding, he didn’t read from the paper in front of him.

“I’ve always felt, in life, you get a lot of things you have to overcome,” Boeheim said. “I started here with nothing, and I’ve been here a long time, and there’s a lot of things in there you have to overcome. But there’s nothing like this, when human life is lost, and you’re there. I can’t describe it to you.”

Syracuse’s players, spread throughout the locker room following the press conference, were consistent in responses. They said Boeheim had asked them to focus on the game, and they offered condolences and prayers to the Jimenez family. They said they knew it was important their coach was on the sidelines.

“You gotta stick with your family, stick with your team,” Buddy, Boeheim’s son, said. “It’s great having him there, great for the community, and you obviously want to win. But it’s more than basketball sometimes.”

The season will move on. Syracuse has a game Tuesday, on the road, against No. 8 North Carolina. Boeheim will be there, coaching with the passion that he always has.

But it won’t be the same as other games against the Tar Heels.

“This is never going away,” Boeheim said. “Tuesday it’s not gonna be any better. It’s not gonna be any better next week. It’s not gonna be any better next month. It’s not gonna be any better next year.”

Published on February 23, 2019 at 10:17 pm

Contact Billy: wmheyen@syr.edu | @Wheyen3