Their teams faced one another three times this season. They earned their 700th victories within a week of each other and they’ve been coaching in the same conference for the past 18 years.

But before Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim and Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun could break for the summer, they had to meet one last time in St. Louis where the Final Four is being held for an announcement.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced its class of 2005 on Monday and Boeheim and Calhoun are two of the five inductees. The other three include former NBA coach Hubie Brown, former LSU women’s coach Sue Gunter and Brazilian player Hortencia Marcari. The class of 2005 will officially be inducted Sept. 8-10, 2005.

‘I told Jim we’ve done too much together and done too much with each other,’ Boeheim said. ‘When you’re both in the same league and you played in the same time and achieve the same milestones together, it’s really surprising.’

Boeheim said his wife Juli informed him of his induction. As she told him, she started crying.

‘It’s something you truly think is never going to happen for you,’ Boeheim said. ‘That’s the level and type of honor it is.

‘It’s a tremendous honor and a tremendous feeling.’

After finishing his 29th season at Syracuse in March, Boeheim has a 703-241 career record. He is tied for 18th on the all-time Division I win list and is tied for sixth among active Division I coaches.

Boeheim has the most wins in Big East-basketball history with 311 and he is tied for second on the all-time 20-win seasons list with 27.

He will join former SU star Dave Bing, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990. Bing and Boeheim played at Syracuse starting in 1962, Boeheim as a walk-on. They were also roommates. Boeheim said Bing called to tell him he was nominated for the Hall of Fame in February.

‘Playing with (Bing) was the best experience of my life,’ Boeheim said. ‘Not just to be around one of the greatest basketball players of all time, but one of the greatest people I’ve ever met.’

Boeheim credited the players and assistant coaches he’s worked with for his success, as well as his parents and high school coach, Dick Blackwell, for getting him involved in basketball.

‘(My parents) took me to camp,’ Boeheim said, ‘and then my high school coach was way ahead of his time. He made me understand the game at a very early age that you don’t get in high school and sometimes you don’t get in college.’

Both Boeheim and Calhoun acknowledged that they hadn’t dwelled on the Hall of Fame induction for long.

‘You’re only as good as your last game,’ Boeheim said. ‘For coaches, we only think about the next game whether it’s a win or loss. The milestones may come and that’s great, but you don’t reflect on them when you’re in the game.’

Published on April 3, 2005 at 12:00 pm