Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim reflects on ACC basketball without Coach K: 'He's gardening and stuff'

CHARLOTTE — Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim offered a friendly jab at his former competitor and retired Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski during Wednesday's ACC basketball media day.

"He's busy. He's gardening and stuff with the grandchildren," Boeheim said when asked about his contact with Coach K since his retirement last spring. "I told him, I said, when it snows out, what are you going to do then? But he'll be fine."

Krzyzewski's absence at the annual preseason event was noted by the 77-year-old Boeheim, who served as Coach K’s assistant on the United States gold medal-winning Olympic teams in 2008, 2012 and 2016.

Krzyzewski owns a 13-5 record against Boeheim, winning the last seve and their only NCAA Tournament game in 1998.

During Duke's run to the Final Four last season, and before facing Syracuse for the final time, Krzyzewski said he and Boeheim were "the closest of friends."

"Our families are intertwined," Krzyzewski said. "My wife Mickie and Juli Boeheim are really close friends and so are my grandkids and his kids. So you know, we're about as close as you can be in this profession."

First-year coach Jon Scheyer officially replaced Krzyzewski at the conclusion of last season, ending Krzyzewski's 42-year run at Duke that included five national championships and more wins than any men's college basketball coach in history.

Boeheim returns for his 46th season with the Orange. Boeheim has watched Krzyzewski and UNC’s Roy Williams retire over the last two years, and last year’s 16-17 record (9-11 ACC), gave his critics the opportunity to say he’s lost a step. It’s been 20 years since he won the 2003 national title with Carmelo Anthony and has reached the Final Four only once since then.

"He brought a lot to the college game," Boeheim said Wednesday of Krzyzewski. "More than anybody probably. As did Roy (Williams) and Jay Wright. Those guys are hard to replace, but as we all know, there's nobody that's irreplaceable."

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Syracuse's Jim Boeheim reflects on ACC basketball without Coach K