The rookie head coach led the Orange to their most wins in five years
Syracuse Orange men’s basketball head coach Adrian Autry is one of 16 finalists for The Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year Award, given annually to the nation’s best rookie head coach.
In his first season, Autry led the Orange to a 20-12 overall record. Syracuse went 11-9 in ACC play, the first time the Orange finished above .500 in conference play since the 2018-19 season. SU also finished 14-2 at the JMA Wireless Dome, its best mark at home in six years.
Autry’s campaign got off to a smooth start with double-digit wins over New Hampshire and Canisius. The Orange erased a 24-point, second-half deficit to Colgate in game three, preventing the Raiders from a third-straight win on SU’s home court.
Syracuse later traveled to compete in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational where it would go 1-2 with a win over Division-II Chaminade and losses to Tennessee and Gonzaga. Autry found better success on the road in the following weeks, winning at Georgetown in early December and steamrolling Oregon by 20 at the Sanford Pentagon in South Dakota.
But perhaps Autry’s signature win came late in the season when the Orange upset then-No. 7 North Carolina at the Dome. It was SU’s first victory over a top-10 opponent since 2019.
The 2024 award will be announced at a later date in Phoenix, Arizona, the site of the men’s NCAA Tournament Final Four. Here are the other rookie nominees:
Chad Boudreau Western Illinois
Chris Casey Fairfield
Aaron Fearne Charlotte
Ross Hodge North Texas
Bryan Hodgson Arkansas State
Alan Huss High Point
Matt Logie Montana State
Phil Martelli Jr. Bryant
Chris Mudge Sam Houston
Tevon Saddler Nicholls
Jim Shaw Texas A&M Corpus Christi
Duane Simpkins American
Tony Skinn George Mason
K.T. Turner UT Arlington
Sundance Wicks Green Bay