Jim Boeheim knows, better than anyone, how razor-thin the line can be between fame and relative obscurity when it comes to his chosen profession/vocation of coaching.

The dice came up a certain way for him: He coached 1,557 basketball games and at every one there were sportswriters chronicling every play, and broadcasters describing every play for those unable to be at Manley Field House, or the Carrier Dome, or on the road.

“There are so many good coaches in this business,” Boeheim said Saturday morning, not long before he would watch his son, Jimmy, play a game in Portugal. “There is so much incredible coaching that goes on that people aren’t aware of because it doesn’t happen on TV, but in hundreds of small gyms in front of smaller crowds. You have some genuine geniuses working there.”

He laughed softly.