Syracuse standout guard Buddy Boeheim struck Florida State’s Wyatt Wilkes in the stomach during the first half of the Orange’s 96-57 rout of the Seminoles in Wednesday’s Atlantic Coast Conference tournament game.
Boeheim and Wilkes were underneath the basket battling for position when Boeheim threw a right-handed punch into Wilkes’ stomach. Wilkes immediately grimaced. No foul was called.
Boeheim apologized for his actions in a statement released through the school about 90 minutes after the game ended.
“In the heat of today’s game, after some shoving in the lane, I swung my arm while turning to go back up the court. It was wrong to act out in frustration. I apologized to Wyatt Wilkes multiple times in the handshake line. He said not to worry about it, but I know it was wrong. I pride myself in respecting the game and our opponent. I will not react that way again,” Boeheim said.
Statement from Buddy Boeheim pic.twitter.com/1SvERy9GW7
— Syracuse Men’s Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) March 9, 2022
Though replays show differently, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim — father of Buddy — said during the postgame press conference that his son didn’t hit anyone. He called it an inadvertent swing.
“No, I don’t think he hit him,” Jim Boeheim said. “He just swung around and there was contact. The kid pushed him twice. You can’t just let people push you around.”
Asked if he feared Buddy would be suspended, the coach shot back with “For what?”
Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton didn’t seem to have a problem with what occurred.
“I saw the play. There’s not a better kid in the ACC than Buddy Boeheim,” Hamilton said. “I don’t want anything to take away from how well they played and the type of kid he is.
“I know his mother, I know Jim, I know the family so we’re going to move on.”
Buddy Boeheim scored 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting on Wednesday.
It’s possible the ACC could review the incident and discipline the 6-foot-6 senior. Syracuse (16-16) faces No. 1 seed Duke (26-5) in Thursday’s quarterfinals in New York.
–Field Level Media
