Jim Boeheim Will Coach vs. Duke After Hitting, Killing Pedestrian with Car

Nick Lisi/Associated Press

Jim Boeheim will coach when the Syracuse Orange host the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils on Saturday after striking and killing a man with his car Wednesday night. 

Syracuse athletic director John Wildhack made the announcement in a statement provided to Michael McCleary of the Daily Orange:

According to ESPN.com, Syracuse police said that Boeheim hit 51-year-old Jorge Jimenez with his vehicle on I-690 in Syracuse on Wednesday night after a car carrying Jimenez and three other people crashed into a guardrail after hitting a patch of ice.

The four people were standing outside the car when Boeheim swerved to avoid hitting their disabled vehicle, resulting in Jimenez getting hit. Jimenez was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Both Boeheim and the driver of the other vehicle passed field sobriety and breathalyzer tests. Boeheim remained at the scene of the accident and cooperated with police.

Syracuse Police Chief Kenton T. Buckner said there is “no reason to believe that there are criminal charges that will be coming for anyone.”

The accident occurred just hours after Boeheim and the Orange defeated the No. 18 Louisville Cardinals 69-49 at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. The win marked the 943rd of the 74-year-old Boeheim’s career, which is second all-time in Division I men’s college basketball behind only Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski.

On Saturday, Boeheim and Krzyzewski will coach against each other for the second time this season. In the previous meeting between Syracuse and Duke, the Orange prevailed 95-91 on the road after Blue Devils starting point guard Tre Jones got injured early in the game and Cam Reddish missed the game for Duke with an illness.

On Saturday, Duke will be without superstar Zion Williamson after he suffered what Krzyzewski called a “mild knee sprain” in Wednesday’s 88-72 loss to North Carolina.