SPRINGFIELD, Mass.-Syracuse men’s basketball head coach Jim Boeheim sat behind a table with a horde of media surrounding him. Across the room, Connecticut men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun sat behind an identical table with an almost identical horde of media around him.

They both were asked about their careers and what induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame meant to them. They talked about where they came from and how much their players and families meant to them. But inevitably the questions and the conversation turned to the man on the other side of the room.

It was somehow fitting Boeheim and Calhoun were in the same room at the same time answering the same questions about their induction into the Hall of Fame. The two men have shared so much over the past 19 years – and the same first name for even longer. It wouldn’t seem right to exclude one from enshrinement while including the other.

So on Friday, Boeheim and Calhoun went into the Hall of Fame together as part of the Class of 2005. If they weren’t already, the two will forever be linked in the Hall’s 47th induction class.

‘It’s really fitting that both of us are going in together,’ Boeheim said. ‘If either of us hadn’t made it, there would be questions. It’s only right for us to go in at the same time. I’m just glad we’re tied for wins because I wouldn’t want him to be able to say he has more than me.’

Both Boeheim and Calhoun have 703 wins, ranking 18th in NCAA history. Last winter the two coaches drew national attention as they raced to be first to 700. Boeheim won out, winning his 700th three days before Calhoun on March 2.

Then four days later on March 6, Boeheim and Calhoun were the first coaches with exactly 700 wins to face each other. This time Calhoun beat Boeheim, winning number 701 against Syracuse. So goes the back and forth nature of the coaches’ relationship.

‘It is really a tough matchup for both of us,’ Boeheim said. ‘It’s been a big game for a long time. We had a lot of battles and we’ll have a lot more, hopefully. We’ve been through a lot of the same things.’

Just because Syracuse and UConn traditionally battle for the top spots in the Big East doesn’t mean the two coaches can’t have fun with each other. Boeheim repeatedly commented the only thing wrong with the Hall of Fame was its proximity to Connecticut and gave Calhoun a hard time about their age difference. Calhoun is two-and-a-half years older than Boeheim, and Boeheim joked it would translate into more longevity and thus more wins for the Syracuse coach.

But their relationship is more than just jokes and basketball games. When Calhoun was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2003, one of the first people he called was Boeheim, who survived prostate cancer in 2001.

Boeheim offered support throughout Calhoun’s illness. Just knowing someone close to him survived helped Calhoun beat the cancer and return to the sidelines.

‘When I found out I had prostate cancer, he was there for me,’ Calhoun said. ‘That’s a true friend. I’m forever indebted to him.’

When Boeheim and Calhoun took the stage together in Springfield, the parallels in their careers were never more apparent. Boeheim has spent his entire life in Central New York, while Calhoun’s a lifelong New Englander. Two Big East coaches with 703 wins going into the Hall of Fame together.

‘As a friend and as a colleague, it’s only befitting that we go in together,’ Calhoun said. ‘The way he’s maintained excellence through all those years, Jim’s had an incredible run.’

Published on September 11, 2005 at 12:00 pm