Syracuse men’s basketball coach Jim Boeheim responded yesterday to recent remarks criticizing the way the athletics department has handled the Billy Edelin saga.

But Boeheim did not offer any new information regarding the status of Edelin, a point guard.

‘His status has not changed from the day this started until this minute,’ Boeheim said. ‘Now, again, I don’t think it takes a rocket scientist to figure out it’s getting pretty late in the year. So that’s the issue.

‘You’ve (already) heard the things that I’m going to say right now,’ Boeheim said. ‘He has no academic problems. No physical problems. No team problems. No issues of anything to do with anything illegal, which covers a wide range of things. And I did say last week that there were no problems with his girlfriend, which is kind of personal but not that personal.

‘So I think we all understand, if we are on the same page, we have given out a lot of information about what is not wrong. We have only left one area of a personal nature. Now, I was hoping you’re all smart enough to figure out what that is. That is an area that I would not talk about. And, No. 2, I could not talk about. So therefore you have gotten every bit of information that is possible to give out.’

Boeheim declined to comment on whether Edelin was still enrolled in school or how often the two see each other.

‘It’s obvious Billy has not come back to the team,’ Boeheim said. ‘Whether he would or could come back to the team, when it’s possible for him to come back to the team, then there’ll be a statement made. Until that time, there’s nothing more to say.’

Edelin was not present at the press conference or at practice. He has missed nine games this season, and has not played in seven straight. Syracuse next plays Sunday at 2 p.m. against Connecticut.

Published on September 20, 2004 at 12:00 pm