McNamara welcomed home to Syracuse, says he’s ‘here to win’

The last time Gerry McNamara had the Syracuse crowd on its feet, he was draining 3-pointers. This time, he did it with his words.

“Anybody who knows me knows why I’m here,” he said Monday. “I’m here to win. It’s who I am and who I’ll always be.”

More than 2,000 fans packed Miron Victory Court Monday evening at an event to welcome the program’s ninth head coach. McNamara, 42, returns to Syracuse as the head coach of Orange basketball after turning around Siena’s basketball program.

The Scranton, Pa., native won a national championship as a freshman alongside Carmelo Anthony in 2003. His No. 3 jersey hangs in the rafters at the JMA Wireless Dome. He still holds program records in 3-pointers made (400), free throw percentage (.888) and minutes played (4,799).

The welcome event was recently named athletic director Bryan Blair’s idea — electing not just to hold a standard press conference, but to involve the fans.

“This doesn’t happen anywhere else in the country,” Blair said of the fans packed into the room. “Nowhere else in the country does this happen to welcome one of our own home.”

McNamara spent 14 seasons on staff at Syracuse under former head coach Jim Boeheim. He was passed over for the job after Boeheim’s retirement in 2023 in favor of Adrian Autry. A year later, he landed at Siena.

McNamara said he hoped he would never return — because that would have meant Autry had succeeded.

“I love Adrian Autry,” he said. “There was no one happier for Red when he got the job than me. I walked away thinking I probably won’t be back.”

McNamara produced a 10-win improvement in his first season with the Saints and guided them to the MAAC championship this year. His 16-seeded Saints built a double-digit lead against No. 1 overall seed Duke before falling 71-65 in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.

Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said afterward that McNamara had outcoached him.

McNamara inherits a program looking to reach the dance for the first time in five seasons — the longest drought since the early 1970s.

“I want to be immediately relevant,” he said about the importance of being competitive in year one.

McNamara did not tip his hand on any additions to his coaching staff, and said he wants everything finalized before making announcements. He said there are people in place to help with recruiting.

The transfer portal opens next week. McNamara said his priority is retaining players already in the program. As an assistant, he helped recruit freshman Kiyan Anthony, Sadiq White and Donnie Freeman.

“The cupboard ain’t bare,” he said. “There’s some talent with this roster.”

McNamara made clear the weight of the moment is not lost on him.

“As a student, being at Syracuse, the basketball team needs to be good,” he said. “That should be non-negotiable.”