It just keeps coming for Syracuse on the recruiting trail.

The news earlier this month that Syracuse would be docked three scholarships per year over a four-year period was a huge blow to the Orange's ability to build program depth for the next few seasons -- and Wednesday's announcement that Jim Boeheim will retire in three seasons only furthers that impact.

"It's unfortunate, of course," said Matthew Moyer, the No. 58 player in the ESPN 60 and Syracuse's only 2016 commit so far. "It's a bummer what the infraction committee has done. But it is what it is, and hopefully we send him out on a good note with a national championship."

Boeheim has been the head coach of the Orange since 1976, leading them to four Final Four appearances and one national championship. He's clearly the face of the program and has built it into a consistent national power. Can the Orange continue to compete at a high level on the recruiting circuit without Boeheim at the helm?

One of Syracuse's strengths is its ability to recruit a few major areas well and consistently get quality talent from those regions. The Orange are terrific in the Philadelphia and Washington areas, as well as New England and the prep schools. Central New York isn't exactly a hotbed of big-time basketball talent, but Syracuse has shown it is able to get multiple players every year from just a few high-profile areas, and -- if the Orange want to keep pace -- that needs to continue even without Boeheim.

With that said, the plan for the past several years has been for assistant coach Mike Hopkins to take over as the head coach whenever Boeheim decided to step down. Hopkins, though, wasn't mentioned in the release from the school Wednesday. It's assumed he's still the coach-in-waiting, and that could be what keeps Syracuse's recruiting intact.

"It's very important," Moyer said. "That's one thing that's very special about the program. Only two programs have it that way, only Duke and Syracuse, where everyone played for Syracuse. So if not Hopkins, somebody like Hopkins. That would be huge."

Keith Stevens' Team Takeover AAU program has produced multiple Syracuse players, including 2015 signee Franklin Howard and current Orange guard Michael Gbinije.

"If we were talking about a coaching change -- doing an overhaul or bringing in a new regime -- that would be one thing," Stevens said. "But it's going to be led by Boeheim disciples.

"Hopkins and [assistant coaches] Red Autry and Gerry McNamara, everyone knows that's an extension of the head coach," Stevens added. "They'll instill the same values, bring the same energy. All those guys came out of that program and know the tradition of that program."

When Jim Calhoun retired from Connecticut in 2012, Kevin Ollie was named the interim head coach. The Huskies' recruiting efforts didn't suffer much because only the face of the program changed. They stayed in the UConn family with the hire, and that provided stability in a tumultuous time for the Huskies.

Syracuse is now in a similar position. And while the Orange's recruiting efforts will be severely hindered by the scholarship reduction, Syracuse can ease some concerns by announcing the next step in the leadership of the program.

"You have to have a Syracuse guy that the kids in the community will recognize," Stevens said. "I think they'd be a fool to go away from having a Syracuse guy running the program. It would ruin all they built over the last 34 years, because if one of his guys are in there, he's still going to be involved."

Over the next few years, Syracuse will obviously be undergoing major changes. A program losing a coach of Boeheim's caliber often goes through some hiccups when trying to maintain the same level of success -- especially when NCAA sanctions are thrown into the mix. Because Syracuse's assistant coaches are so good (and given so much freedom) on the recruiting trail, though, bringing in new talent has never been the chief concern.

"Coach Boeheim is a Hall of Fame coach, so it will have an impact," said Team Final AAU coach Rob Brown, whose program produced departed Syracuse senior Rakeem Christmas and 2015 signee Malachi Richardson. "But the Syracuse assistant coaches are so ingrained into the school and culture of Syracuse that I'm sure they'll be OK."

Continuity is the biggest question on the recruiting trail moving forward -- and keeping everything intact would provide stability.