Adrian Autry fired after Syracuse’s ACC tournament loss to SMU
Adrian Autry fired after ACC tournament loss to SMU
The former head coach, who defined an era of SU basketball as a player, was fired after his three-season reign.
SU basketball’s head coach, Adrian Autry, was fired Wednesday morning after the Orange’s season ended with an 86-69 loss to SMU in the first round of the ACC tournament.
Sources confirmed Autry’s departure to ESPN. Autry’s three seasons as head coach represent the shortest coaching stretch in the history of SU basketball.
“The landscape of college athletics has changed, and to be where we want our standard to be, a lot of those things change,” Autry said in his postgame news conference after losing to SMU. “That was a struggle for me to try to adapt to that.”
The team finished the season 15-17, with a 48-49 record under Autry’s three seasons as head coach. This season marked the second-straight losing regular season for the Orange and another missed NCAA tournament.
“I don’t shy away from the job that I did,” Autry said. “I’m harder on myself than anybody, and I didn’t get the results we wanted.”
Though Autry may be known to most SU basketball fans as the coach who succeeded Jim Boeheim and failed to make the NCAA Tournament, the North Carolina native was a powerful point guard and an Orange player from 1990 to 1994. He appeared in 121 games, scoring over 1,500 points.
During his time at Syracuse, Autry was a player who could do it all. Mainly known for his playmaking and assists, the 6-foot-4 guard was also a physical player who was never afraid to use his size to drive to the hoop. As a guard, he excelled at rebounding, something that was especially rare during the days of Syracuse’s 2-3 zone.
As a freshman, Autry was thrust into the starting lineup to begin the 1990-91 season. Boeheim rarely played freshmen, but he knew Autry was up for the task. In his first year, Autry helped lead a team with a veteran frontcourt to a 26-4 record and was named to the Big East All-Rookie Team.
Over the years, Autry continued to develop with a number of star players around him. Billy Owens, Lawrence Moten and John Wallace all played major roles in Autry’s development and elite playmaking ability.
In his sophomore season, Autry’s chemistry with Mike Hopkins helped lead Syracuse to a Big East championship. The addition of Moten also played a huge role in Autry’s career. Moten scored nearly 20 points per game during his true freshman season.
The 1992-93 season was supposed to be a massive one for the Orange. Coming off the conference title, the team believed it could achieve anything. But the NCAA ruled Syracuse could not compete in the NCAA or NIT tournaments due to violations. Despite the lack of a postseason, Autry continued to improve and was named third-team All-Big East.
After the disappointment of his junior year and the inability to compete in the postseason, all eyes turned to the 1993-94 season. Syracuse was once again eligible for postseason play. The Orange had a star senior point guard. Moten and Wallace had developed into stars. The trio was excellent for Syracuse, but the lack of depth plagued the team.
Despite a season in which Autry averaged 16.7 points, 6.1 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game, the Orange fell in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Autry did everything he could, scoring 30 points in the game, the program’s second 30-point performance in its tournament history at the time, but Syracuse lost to Missouri.
Autry ended his career being named to the All-Big East First Team and finished near the top of multiple Syracuse record lists. He became one of three players in school history to lead the team in assists in all four seasons. The point guard still ranks fifth in career assists, sixth in steals, eighth in minutes played, and 17th in scoring.
After Autry’s three seasons at Syracuse, the search for the Orange’s next head coach will likely come after chancellor-elect Mike Haynie appoints a new athletic director to replace John Wildhack.
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