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Elijah Hughes and Tyus Battle heard the backlash with their own ears. When North Carolina came to town on Feb. 21, the Tar Heels pulled away in the final minutes to continue the Orange’s disappointing third year under head coach Adrian Autry. Frustration in the JMA Wireless Dome boiled over.

Chants began. The message was loud and clear. SU’s student section wanted Autry to be fired.

“I just wish that didn’t happen on the home floor with our head coach, just because that’s not how I think it should be. That was disheartening a little bit,” Hughes said. “But I also understand the fans. They want to see Syracuse back at the top.”

The Orange fired Autry on March 11 after the head coach went 49-48 over three seasons, missing the NCAA Tournament all three times and falling under .500 in back-to-back seasons. But before a lackluster run as head coach, Autry was a star point guard for SU in the 1990s and, as an assistant coach, helped Jim Boeheim build multiple March Madness teams in the 2010s.

The Daily Orange spoke with multiple Syracuse alums who played under Autry to hear their perspective on his recent firing. The former SU players shared the impact Autry made on them in their time with the Orange, and how the head coach dealt with pressure in his three years helming his alma mater.

“It’s definitely unfortunate what happened this year, and over the past couple years,” Battle said. “But that should never diminish how much Autry has given to this program and to the Syracuse community.”

Even as Autry was busy running SU’s program, he stayed in contact with his former players who found professional opportunities overseas or around the United States. Mike Gbinije saw Syracuse play on the road against UVA and UNC this season, catching up with Autry and “encouraging him” after seeing immense pressure on social media. He felt Autry handled the noise as best he could.

Former Syracuse player Tyus Battle said Autry’s unsuccessful head coaching stint shouldn’t diminish his impact on the Orange as a player and assistant coach. Daily Orange File Photo

Former NBA first-round pick Tyler Lydon now works as a skills coach for his own basketball training company. He’d often call Autry when he worked with players he felt would be a good fit for Syracuse. When news broke of Autry’s firing, Lydon texted his former position coach. Autry got back to him less than a minute later.

“It was kind of inevitable. I think everybody saw that this was going to be happening the way the tail end of the season went,” Lydon said of Autry’s firing. “But, a big part of me felt crushed for him, because I know what the university means to him.”

As the Orange continually competed for national championships in the 2010s, Autry was at the forefront. Gbinije built a relationship with Autry through AAU basketball and eventually transferred from Duke to Syracuse after his freshman season. A few years later, Gbinije helped SU reach the Final Four.

Hughes was in his dorm room at East Carolina in 2017 when he saw a call from a Syracuse phone number. The guard was in the transfer portal and picked up the call. On the other end was Autry, who broke down how Hughes would fit into SU’s system for over 40 minutes. Hughes transferred to Syracuse and became a First Team All-ACC player.

“I felt the realness in his voice,” Hughes said of Autry. “That phone call changed the whole trajectory of my life. He saw something in me early that I didn’t necessarily see in myself as a player.”

As Hughes averaged 19.0 points per game throughout the 2019-20 season, agents began reaching out to Autry about the forward. He still had another year of eligibility if he wanted to use it, and Autry and Hughes agreed it’d be best not to worry about the next level until the season was over.

Once Syracuse’s season abruptly ended due to COVID-19, Hughes went straight to Autry to see what the assistant coach thought he should do. Autry told him it was time to go. Hughes was selected in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft.

Gbinije said Autry was often the “good cop” to Boeheim, acting as a positive voice. Battle added that Autry’s perspective as a former student-athlete under Boeheim made him easy to relate to.

Tyler Roberson, a forward for the Orange from 2013-17, believes Autry was best at balancing the ups and downs of basketball, both in individual seasons and throughout his career. But Autry still pushed players to their limits. Lydon, who became a first-round pick in 2017, said Autry led some of the toughest workouts he’d ever experienced.

Syracuse alumnus Tyler Lydon was disappointed to see Autry fired but said the program didn’t play up to the proper level during his tenure. Daily Orange File Photo

When watching Syracuse’s 2025-26 team, most alums couldn’t quite pinpoint what went wrong. At this point, they’ve become outsiders — just like fans — watching from afar and detached from the day-to-day operation.

Battle saw the Orange play in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas and then at home against UNC. He said SU showed signs of a good team, but didn’t seem to have the cohesiveness to overcome adversity. Battle added he “didn’t see as much fight as he would’ve liked.”

Hughes, who plays overseas, often has to stay up late to watch Syracuse due to the time difference. He put it simply. Sometimes teams don’t click. Lydon agreed with Boeheim’s opinion, saying SU’s best players didn’t play well.

“If I’m just being as blunt and straightforward as possible, I just don’t think the guys played to the level of what Syracuse basketball is,” Lydon said.

With Autry’s struggles as a head coach, his legacy as a player and masterful recruiter will forever be altered. It became apparent Syracuse would move away from Autry as the year went on. But he’s far from SU’s only issue, as proven through its inability to remain in the running for South Florida’s Bryan Hodgson. One alum felt that with more time and resources, maybe Autry could’ve turned things around.

“I know how great of a coach he is, and there’s a lot that goes into coaching, especially now,” Roberson said. “I wish he had maybe got another year or two to prove that he can do what it is I’m sure he intended on doing.”

What happens next for Syracuse will decide whether it reestablishes itself as a top program or continues to decline into irrelevance. Multiple alumni see the benefit of keeping the head coach “in the family,” which would likely mean Gerry McNamara or Mike Hopkins filling the role. Going outside the program’s roots is becoming increasingly unlikely, as Hodgson and Josh Schertz are off the board.

However, former SU players know what’s at stake. In the modern age of college basketball, the coach can only do so much. It’s the dollar signs that make up much of the difference.

“You could go out and get the best coach in the country,” Lydon said. “But, if you don’t give them the resources and the financial backing at this point to get them to that next step, it doesn’t matter who you hire.”

Published on March 19, 2026 at 1:27 am
Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky