Syracuse coach says there’s ‘no value’ in playing ACC Tournament in Greensboro

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Boeheim coached against his son as the Orange defeated Cornell
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Boeheim doesn’t think the ACC Tourney should be in Greensboro

NEW YORK — Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim isn’t winning over any friends in the heart of the ACC, and quite frankly, he doesn’t care.

Boeheim blasted the ACC’s decision to continue to host the ACC Tournament in Greensboro, where it is scheduled to return in 2020. Greensboro has been a frequent stop of the tournament, and has been there as recently as 2015.

“I think it should be played [in New York], Washington, Atlanta. That’s where the tournament should be played,” Boeheim said following Syracuse’s 62-57 loss to Miami in the second round of the ACC Tournament. “And I’m saying all that because I don’t give a s—. I’m just saying what’s right.”

The 2017 ACC Tournament is being played at the Barclays Center, the first time the tournament has moved up north.

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Last year, the tournament was played in the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. The following year, it will return to the Barclays Center in New York before moving to Charlotte in 2019.

“I think there’s a huge value in playing the tournament in those places,” Boeheim said. “There’s no value in playing Greensboro. None. It’s there because the league’s been there and the office is there, and they have 150 people that the ACC needs. That’s why it’s there. It should not be there.”

Boeheim cited those three cities as being major media hubs that would be a greater draw to fans and recruits.

“Why do you think the Big Ten is coming into New York? It’s business, good business sense,” Boeheim said. “They all say it’s a business. Well, then, let’s start acting like it’s a business.”

The reaction from Greensboro, where the ACC is headquartered, was predictably not as supportive of Boeheim’s opinion.

“Unfortuately for Syracuse,” Greensboro mayor Nancy Vaughan said in a release, “they didn’t stay around long enough to experience the Greensboro value.”

Syracuse is now 0-3 in the ACC Tournament since joining the conference in 2014.

Boeheim made similar headlines back in 2013 when lamenting about his final season of coaching in the old Big East. In his final game at Providence, Boeheim had this to say about learning the new restaurants in his new conference.

“I know where all the good restaurants are now, and now I’ve got to go down to Clemson, S.C. I’m sure there’s a couple of Denny’s down there. They’ll like me a lot now in Clemson. I like to make friends before I get down there.”

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About Wes Cheng 2907 Articles
Wes has worked for Rivals.com covering the New York Knicks, as well as for Scout.com covering Syracuse athletics. Wes has also been a contributing writer for the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), for SportsNet New York (SNY) as a news desk writer covering all of New York professional sports, and reported on the NBA and MLB for the New York Sportscene. A native of Long Island, New York, Wes graduated from Syracuse University in 2005 with a degree in journalism. Contact him at wes[at]sujuiceonline.com.